What is recorded here

Indicated stands in County Kildare as a tall stone gatehouse, its four floors rising behind a segmental arch and portcullis groove. A narrow passage leads past a spiral stair into chambers marked by splayed loops, rectangular recesses and garderobes cut into the north wall. The east side may be younger, its broad window and altered angle suggesting the building changed as needs changed. Whatever life moved through those rooms, the stone still holds the shape of entry, defence and domestic use entangled in one block.

Described in the Urban Survey (Bradley et. al. 1986, 273-4) as a ‘block approximately 12m by 7, with four floors but perhaps having only three originally. This was entered through a segmentally –arched opening, 4.5m high, with a portcullis groove immediately inside. This opened into a passage, 2m wide, leading to a pointed doorway. On the west was an opening leading to a spiral stair. The E side of the gatehouse was altered considerably. At first floor level the staircase occupied the W part of the block, having a splayed cruciform gun-loop in the N wall. E of this was a large chamber with two garderobes in the N wall. The E wall may not have been original, and had a large splayed rectangular window. In the NE angle was a rectangular recess while in the S wall a splayed doorway led to the central range. At second floor level there was a splayed loop facing NW and a parallel sided door in the S wall, while the main chamber to the E had a rectangular recess in the N wall and a parallel-sided window in the E wall. An external string-course supporting the battlements was present above this floor. The third floor consists of a rounded NW angle tower which contained a stair communicating with NW tower by a parallel sided doorway in W wall’. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 September 2016

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