Castle

Indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of ‘The Parrish of St. Johns in the Liberties of Kilkenny’ as a castle at the junction of several townlands, immediately E of St John's on the W side of Kilkenny City (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). It appears to be at the very S extremity of the 17th-century townland of 'Towneditch' which roughly corresponds with the SW angle of the modern townland of Highhays. The precise location of this castle is unknown, however, it could also be a depiction of Madalen Castle (KK019-026074-), the tower house by the gate into the precincts of the Magdalen hospital and possibly an outer gate into the city itself. See attached: KK019-075----_01 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) parish map ‘The Parrish of St. Johns in the Liberties of Kilkenny’ (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 13 October 2020

The castle at Highhays is indicated on the 1655–56 Down Survey map of the parish of St. John's in the Liberties of Kilkenny, suggesting it was a minor defensive or residential site in the 17th century. Its location near Kilkenny City highlights its potential role in the local medieval landscape, though specific builders or holders remain unidentified.