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Castle in Ruins in Ardkill

Castle, tower house

What is recorded here

On a very gentle S-facing pasture slope, overlooking a possible deserted medieval settlement site (KD008-008002-), with a medieval church (KD008-009----) and graveyard (KD008-009002-) some 350m away from the castle, to the SSE. Only the E-angle of a very poorly preserved, two-storied structure survives and comprises…

Read the whole record
On a very gentle S-facing pasture slope, overlooking a possible deserted medieval settlement site (KD008-008002-), with a medieval church (KD008-009----) and graveyard (KD008-009002-) some 350m away from the castle, to the SSE. Only the E-angle of a very poorly preserved, two-storied structure survives and comprises the SE wall (L 7m; wall T 1.22m) and a very short length of the NE wall (L 1.5m), together with a small rectangular corner tower (dims. L 2.65m E-W; Wth 2m) which projects SE from the SW end of the SE wall and which may be a later addition. There is a slight base-batter on the SE wall, but not on the corner tower. The walls are built of randomly coursed limestone blocks facing a rubble core of very angular, small stones in a dense mortar which contains numerous pebble, gravel and slate inclusions. Traces of a heavy, concrete-like render survive in patches. An irregular ope (Wth 1.8m) to E of centre in the SE wall is probably the remains of a robbed-out doorway. The inner faces of both walls carry the scar-lines of a robbed-out vault which was orientated NE-SW and covered the ground floor, and which may have carried a loft under it's arch. The corner tower contains a chimney flue in the SE wall, the base of which is robbed-out at ground-floor level, but which rises into first-floor level to run behind a second flue whose base flares out to NE and SW to accommodate a robbed-out fireplace. The flues contain some red brick. Traces of a probable bawn (KD008-008003-) are visible immediately to the SE.

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record KD008-008001

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

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Photo credits
  • National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  • Kfm Radio; individual photographer not named, www.kfmradio.com
  • Dougbermingham at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons · CC0
  • Robin Pollard, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
  • Royalcanalrunner, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Dougbermingham ( talk ) ( Uploads ), Wikimedia Commons · CC0
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