Durhamstown Castle

Situated on a fairly level landscape. According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Lord Ranallah, a Protestant, owned 300 acres at Doramstowne in Ardbrackan parish in 1640, and on the premises were ‘one castle and a stone house’. He also owned most of the rest of the parish (Simington 1940, 232-35). This is a two-storey house with attic aligned N-S and there are four vaults at the ground floor aligned E-W. The original doorway might have been by the pointed doorway in a stairs tower at the S end of the E wall. There are no defensive features and the house was adapted in the nineteenth century when an E-W wing was added at the N end. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 16 August 2016