Castle in Donaghmoyne

This is a National Monument occupying almost all of a NW-SE drumlin ridge (Harbison 1970, 200). Morris (1908-11, 265-8) speculates that in origin this monument was a power centre for the three McColla kings who broke the power of the Ulaidh and established Airgialla as the dominant power in south Ulster in the mythological early history of Ireland. In time the Airgialla became the O’Carroll kings of Oriel, and when Murrough O’Carroll, king of Oriel, died c. 1188 a peaceful Anglo-Norman settlement of much of the territory seems to have occurred (Otway-Ruthven 1968, 52). Farney, as well as the even more remote Monaghan baronies of Cremorne and Dartree, was included with Ardee in the grant to Peter Pipard c. 1190 (ibid. 70) and a castle, undoubtedly the motte and inner bailey, is recorded as being built at Domhnaigh Maighen in 1193. In 1228-34 labour services were recruited by Ralph FitzNicholas, the custodian of Pipard minors, to fortify the castle of Dunelamein. The older castle had been burnt and this castle was mandated to be a stone castle. By 1244 the stone castle was completed and FitzNicholas’ son, Ralph, was proprietor, probably through marriage with a Pipard ward. However, it proved difficult to hold this outpost and in 1302 the Pipards surrendered the grant of Farney to the King, effectively abandoning it to the native Irish inhabitants (Orpen 1908, 263-5). Subsequent leases to Walter de Cusack in 1317, John Clinton in 1333, and Roger de Gernon in 1372, the last with instructions to build or re-build the castle, failed to secure Farney. In 1401 Eochaidh Mac Mahon even held the lease, specifically without Donaghmoyne castle, but Farney was confirmed to a Roger de Gernon in 1414. The lease of ‘Donaghmyne and Farney’ in 1424 to John Saynleg is the last until 1572 when the barony was let to the first Earl of Essex. By this time the castle was entirely forgotten, and when the second earl built a castle as a strong-point in Farney in 1628-33 he built it at Carrickmacross (MO031-034----), c. 4 km to the S. The motte with its two baileys is one of the most impressive medieval earthwork monuments in the country, although it has always been shrouded in deciduous woodland. Just NE of the motte is a pond (diam. c. 25m; D 1.5m) that holds no water at the moment and which may be natural as there are two other ponds further N, but this one has a slight bank on its rim NE-S. The motte is a truncated conical mound with a rather rectangular flat top (diam. of base c. 45m; H 8.8m at NW to c. 12m at SW; dims of top 17.8m NW-SE; c. 15m NE-SW) encased in the masonry of the castle (MO028-118002-). The base of the motte is surrounded by a fosse (at NW: Wth of top 24m; Wth of base 2m; ext. D 6m) and outer bank (at NW: Wth of base 11.8m; Wth of top 2m; ext. H 2.7m), both of which are most massive at W-N, across the natural ridge. The outer bank of the motte is absent ENE-S where there is a raised and subrectangular, flat-topped inner bailey (dims 35-40m NW-SE; 28m NE-SW; H at SW 6.6m over 8.5m), with traces of a stone facing on the SW side of the summit and traces of a bank on the perimeter at N. The fosse and outer bank of the motte surround the NE and SW sides of the inner bailey, but on the SE side there is only the fosse. This fosse also forms the W edge of the outer subrectangular and grass-covered bailey (dims 74-83m WNW-ESE; 32-52m N-S) which is on a more E-W alignment as this end of the ridge turns slightly to the N. The outer baily is defined by scarps (at N: Wth 6.8m, H 3m; at E: Wth 6m; H 1.7m; at S: Wth 3.5m; H 2m) and the S part of the interior slopes down markedly to the S. The stonework of the castle encases the top of the motte, provides a masonry causeway between the motte and the inner bailey, and perhaps the remains of a gatehouse is on the SE side of the inner bailey. A local community group cleared the monument of scrub in 1994-5 and the first detailed survey was undertaken by Kieran O’Conor, while remote sensing surveys of the outer bailey were conducted by Kevin Barton and Joseph Fenwick. The latter highlighted a possible perimeter trench for the outer bailey, which was confirmed in excavation (99E0044) by Eoghan Moore. Beneath a disturbed topsoil (D c. 0.5m) much of the S part of the outer bailey had been devoted to industrial purposes and vast quantities of slag were recovered as well as two working surfaces, one of which is interpreted as a forge. Excavation of the ditch between the inner and outer baileys revealed what may be an abutment for a wooden bridge connecting the two baileys. Excavation of the outer bank of the motte showed that there was no palisade on it or around the pond. (Moore 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). This is a National Monument in state ownership: No. 382 See the attached image of the survey by Kieran O'Conor in Moore (1999, Fig. 3) Revised by: Michel Moore Date of revision: 11 December 2017