Creeve Castle

Situated on a rise, in a scrubby area of pasture, with commanding views of the surrounding landscape. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular-shaped building annotated ‘Creeve Castle’ which is situated in the N quadrant of an oval-shaped earthwork (WM030-009002-). Depicted on the revised 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map as a rectangular-shaped structure within a similar earthwork, annotated ‘Creeve Castle (in Ruins)’. According to Pinkman (1945, 38), ‘There was a castle in Creeve in the north of the parish of Ballyloughloe. It is referred to as a stronghold of the Magawleys (Walsh 1955, 30). According to Cox (1972, 156), ‘The remains of a vault and a few stones are all that remain.’ Local tradition claims that the Irish burnt the castle down themselves. Monument described in 1973 as a rectangular-shaped building (dims. 8.5m E-W; 6m N-S) defined by low stone wall footings. There is a small depression near the bank at E and a long depression inside the bank at S. This feature is largely overgrown with briars and is difficult to examine. Castle site is obscured today by scrub vegetation on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 07 November 2019

Creeve Castle is believed to be a medieval ringwork or motte-and-bailey structure, likely built by a local Gaelic lord or Anglo-Norman settler during the 13th or 14th century. Its strategic location on a rise suggests it was used for defense and local control, and its depiction on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map highlights its long-standing presence in the landscape.