Castle (in Ruins)

In a small pocket of scrub and outcropping rock in otherwise good pasture at the top of a short W-facing slope overlooking the broad Toormore River which flows N c. 75m to the W. Not recorded on the first edition (1837) of the OS 6-inch map but depicted as a substantial mound on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and similarly depicted and labelled ‘Castle (in Ruins)’ on the Cassini edition (1920) of the OS 6-inch map. A large partially grass-covered circular mound (base diam. 30m; H 1.8m along W - 3.75m along E) of earth and stone has a level upper surface (diam. 14m). The surface and mound slopes along the N and S are densely overgrown with scrub and briar but large retaining stones (H 0.25m) are visible intermittently midway up the mound slopes at E, S and W. Chunks of collapsed randomly coursed mortared masonry lie on the N half of the upper surface, on the NW slope and at the foot of the mound at NW. Overgrown field walls overlie the lower slopes along the N and E. A probably later castle (MA070-110----) stands c. 70m to the SW and the site of a possible ‘Abbey’ (MA070-111001-), a Children’s Burial Ground (MA070-111002-) and a graveyard (MA070-111003-) lie c. 130m to the SE. Date of visit: 27-9-2025 Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy