Castle (in ruins)

Stratigically placed on the NW bank of the River Barrow, in an area of marshland and rock outcrop, with good views of river approaches. According to Vigors (1893, 258), the castle belonged to the O'Ryans. The castle is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran and on the Down Survey parish map of Ullard (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). It is not mentioned in the terrier accompanying the parish map, but the proprietors in 1640 of Cloghasty and Knockbarron are listed as Earle of Ormond, Teige Ryan, Edmond Ryan and Teige Baccagh Ryan ‘Ir[ish] Pap[i]sts’ (ibid.). A rectangular, four-storey structure (ext. dims. 12m NE-SW x 10m NW-SE) with pronounced base-batter (H 1.6m). Constructed of roughly coursed sandstone rubble with larger, roughly cut blocks employed as quoins. The upstanding remains are ruinous and ivy-clad and the interior is inaccessible due to dense overgrowth of vegetation. The E end of the SE wall and the NE wall, though breached at its W end, are the best preserved. There is a rectangular loop with uncut surrounds in the SE wall at first-floor level and traces of a wall-walk at parapet level. Internally there is a rudimentary fireplace in the SE wall at ground-floor level, this is likely to be later insertion. The NW and SW walls survive to maximum height of 1m. See attached: KK029-011----_01 Extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran, Co. Kilkenny (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) KK029-011----_02 Extract from Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of Ullard, in the barony of Gowran, Co. Kilkenny (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) KK029-011----_03 Photograph of the external face of the NE wall, 9 November 1994 KK029-011----_04 Photographic detail of the robbed-out base-batter at the E end of the SE wall, 9 November 1994 KK029-011----_05 Photograph of the River Barrow from the castle, 9 November 1994 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 March 2021

The castle at Cloghasty South was held by the O'Ryan family, as noted by Vigors in 1893, and was strategically positioned to control river approaches on the NW bank of the River Barrow. It is remembered for its defensive location in a challenging landscape of marshland and rock, reflecting the importance of such sites in medieval territorial control.