What is recorded here

Knocksouna hides a castle so exact even its own townland cannot be found, though a ruined castle and a castle stump appear in the same place at different times. The hill may have belonged to Cormac mac Airt, Eochy the red hand, or only to the people who farmed it after the stones fell. What is missing is not importance but visibility; the castle withdrew into the field, waiting for someone to stop looking for a landmark and start listening for the shape of the story.

The precise location of a castle in the townland of Knocksouna has not been identified. Westropp (1906-7, 173) recorded the following details about Knocksouna; 'The hill of Cnoc Samhna was the legendary scene of a battle of the High King Cormac mac Airt, in A.D. 241. ''Eochy the red hand," King of Ulster, camped there in the time of St. Fionnchu of Brigown. The place is of little other note. 1583 T. Lacy held Cnocsawny (Fi. 2784). 1655 J. Gould held Knockesawny, with the stump of a C. [astle] (C.S., xxiv., p. 286), granted to C. Ormsby (Act Sett.). It is perhaps Tankardstown C[astle].' The 1659 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that in 1640 John Gould of Knocksownye an Irish Papist was the owner in Knocksouna of 'a stump of a Castle three houses & an orchard' (Simington 1938, 121). No castle is depicted in the townland of Knocksouna on the Down Survey map of Coshma Barony (Hib. Reg.). On this map Tankardstown Castle is shown standing to the N of Knocksouna townland. The terrier of the Down Survey map of Tankardstown parish recorded that in Knocksouna there was 'a Ruined Castle' (NLI, Ms 718). See attached Down Survey map of Coshma Barony. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 23 August 2021

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