Castle

A one storey gabled house with two chimneys at the centre of Killary (33) in Killary parish and Slane barony is depicted on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) George Fleming owned 212 acres at Killary in 1640, and ‘an old stone house and a church’ were on the property (Simington 1940, 354). The church is probably the parish church (ME012-020----), which is not depicted on the Down Survey map. The castle is depicted as a small square building (dims c. 5m NE-SW; c. 5m NW-SE) on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. A slight rise in the ground is the only indication of the monument in pasture. See the attached section from the Down Survey barony map (N at right back), courtesy of the National Library of Ireland The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 8 June 2016

Built or held by the Fitzgerald family, likely in the 17th century, Castle Killary is important as a historical landmark depicted in early land surveys, reflecting the settlement patterns and land ownership in the region during the post-Tudor reconquest period of Ireland.