Bawn in Roosky (monaghan By., Monaghan Par.)

A castle (MO009-060003-) was being built at Monaghan after 1604 by Sir Edward Blayney using material derived from the Franciscan friary (MO009-060002-). It is not represented on the Bartlett map of the town of 1602-03, but it is shown on a map of the town, probably c. 1611-13 and now held in Trinity College Dublin (Ms 1209 (32)), which was illustrated by Ó Gallachair (1962, 145). It shows the castle within a rectangular bawn (B) with a gate at the N and bastions at the NW and SE angles. South of the castle and within its curtilage the map shows gardens and fish ponds. In 1835 the site of the castle was pointed out as being on the Diamond opposite Glasslough St. (Herity 2012, 175) followed by Lewis (1837, 2, 384), but this structure was probably at the N side of the bawn, which would agree with the map of 1611-13. Archaeological excavations (96E0025; 96E0293) in the area to the SW failed to provide any evidence of the castle (Swan 1997a, 1997b). See attached image of the plan of c. 1611-13 (MO009-060_2a copy) where it is item 'B' Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 29 June 2018

Sir Edward Blayney began building the Bawn in Roosky, Monaghan, after 1604, using materials from a nearby Franciscan friary. The castle is historically significant as part of the English colonial efforts in Ulster and reflects the reuse of monastic buildings during the early 17th century.