What is recorded here

Craan held a castle and two houses beside the Ballykeyher border, but no marker exists to show where the walls stood. Edward Masterson of Borris owned the broad Upper Ferns land in the mid seventeenth century, suggesting the castle served a powerful local family rather than a passing soldier. The missing site invites imagination about rooms, guards and daily life, yet invention must stop where fact begins.

The Down Survey parish map (1656-8) of Ferns parish places a castle and two houses in a large territory called Upper Ferns and Ainimoe. This consists of the townlands of Askinamoe, Craan, Newtown, Tombrackwood, Lodgewood, Crory and Coolbaun. The houses were close together in the vicinity of Craan, close to where it bordered Ballykeyher (Bolacaheer). According to the terrier or commentary 1496 acres in this block was owned by Edward Masterson of Borris castle (WX010-002002-), together with a lot of other land. The precise location of the castle is not known. See the attached section from the Down Survey barony map (N at left) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 725) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 2 May, 2012 Amended: 9 May, 2014

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