What is recorded here

Castle Kevin vanished beneath a nineteenth-century country house, leaving behind only a carved human head and a stone marked 1613. The Roches held the place until Cromwellian wars stripped it from them, suggesting violent displacement rather than gentle decay. Whatever rooms remain buried under the new house may still hold the shape of the old castle, waiting for someone to remember how to see them.

No visible surface trace of castle; site now occupied by 19th-century country house (14870) which may incorporate part of earlier structure. Stone inserted on E wall of present house inscribed "1613/T/W/I". Human head carved in stone and now set in enclosing wall near house may have come from castle. Several Roches 'of Castlekiffyn' were pardoned in 1583 (Grove White 1905-25, vol. 2, 103), and Down Survey (1655-6) barony map shows a castle here; forfeited during Cromwellian wars and granted to Thornhill (ibid., 104). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Built in the early 17th century, possibly incorporating an earlier medieval structure, Castle Kevin was likely held by the Talbot or Wandesford families, prominent local landowners in County Kildare. The site is historically significant as it reflects the transition from medieval to early modern Irish domestic architecture.

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