Castle

Situated on a ridge running NE-SW, in pasture. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as an oval-shaped flat-topped earthwork. Rathconnell Castle site (WM019-040001-) lies c. 65m to NE and Rathconnell church (WM019-041----) and graveyard (WM019-041001-) are c. 85m to SE. The ruins of a Georgian house annotated on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as Rathconnell Court are located c. 15m to E. Monument described in 1976 as a substantial, roughly oval-shaped mound (approx. dims. 44m NE-SW; 37m NW-SE) defined by a steep-sided earthen embankment and outer fosse. It appears as if the natural ridge was scarped from SW-W-NW to form the bailey. There is evidence of soil creep on the steep embankment, particularly on the W. There is a lower, roughly semi-circular shaped terrace from SE-S-SSW which is defined on the downslope by a counterscarp. An outer fosse is visible from W-N-E and is quite wide from N-E. There is no trace of an outer fosse from SE-S-SSW where the terrace is present. The mound is flat-topped (dims. 29m NE-SW; 24m NW-SE) forming a level platform with a small, raised mound in the S quadrant. A circular stone tower forming part of the yard of Rathconnell Court, has been cut into the N embankment. The lower courses have loops and may be of some antiquity, whereas the upper courses are probably contemporary with the ruins of Rathconnell Court. The tower is roofless and functioned as a dovecote. Monument is visible on Digital Globe aerial photography as a partially tree-lined oval earthwork. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 03 April 2019

Built by the FitzGerald family, Lords of Kildare, in the late 12th or early 13th century, the motte and bailey in Rathconnell was part of a network of Norman strongholds established to consolidate control over the surrounding region during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. Its strategic location on a natural ridge highlights its defensive significance.