Castle

On natural spur surrounded by the Glenbower River to N and W and by main Clonmel to Callen road to E. Very heavily overgrown with brambles and interior planted with conifers. Defined by scarp (H 2.8m). Interior not accessible (diam. 38m N-S; 56m NE-SE from 25-inch OS map). E edge of monument was truncated by a realignment of the adjacent road. According to Power (1908, 197) this possible ringwork was called 'An Dun -"The Fort"; a natural mound by the roadside, crowned by vestiges of what appears to have been an earthwork of the Rath type'. The location of this earthwork by a routeway through a pass and the defensive nature of its topography would suggest that this is a medieval earthwork castle. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

Built by a local Norman or Gaelic lord during the 13th or 14th century, Castle, ringwork in Ardbane is important as a rare example of a ringwork castle in southern Ireland, illustrating medieval defensive adaptations to local terrain.