Castle (in ruins)

On a pronounced bluff between the steeply sloping S side of the Nore river valley and the broad plateau to the S, in grassland. A stream runs along the SE boundary flowing c. 900m to the NE to meet the Nore. The ‘castle’ is located in the NE quadrant of a large, roughly rectangular graveyard (KK014-056002-). There are extensive views in all directions. The OS Letters (1839) describe, ‘a large burying ground, and a bit of the wall of a Church in the Townland of Druim Deilgneach, i.e., the Thorny Ridge or Hillock. Part of a castle wall joins this ruin at the east end and portion of a court or yard wall remain on the south side’ (O’Flanagan (ed.) 1930, vol. 2, 77-8 (25-6)). On the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map a church (KK014-056001-) is indicated as a rectangular structure orientated NW-SE with another building (L c. 8m; Wth c. 5m), annotated ‘Castle (in ruins)’ adjoining at the NE quadrant. On the 1946-7 revision the church is orientated N-S, with the NE building, again annotated as ‘Castle (in Ruins)’ is at a slight remove from the church. Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 195) when describing the church mentions that, ‘Attached to it, at its north-east angle, was a castle, a fragment of a wall of which about 5 ft. [1.5m] thick, yet stands’ (ibid.). It is highly likely that the ‘castle’ is in fact a residential tower for the priest, a presbytery. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 June 2020

Built by the de Tracy family in the late 12th century, Troyswood Castle is significant for its strategic location overlooking the Nore river valley, which made it an important defensive position during medieval times.