What is recorded here

Indicated, Portloman is a castle motte in County Westmeath, Ireland, standing twenty metres across and seven metres high on high ground above Lough Owel. Its steep sides rise from a broad fosse, while trees still line the summit where fragments of masonry once emerged. The mound faces Nugent’s Castle and Portloman House, linking three local landmarks across open water and memory.

Situated on high ground with extensive views, particularly over Lough Owel, c. 80m to E. Nugent’s Castle (WM018-023----) lies c. 130m to N and Portloman House c. 200m to NW. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly oval-shaped tree-planted earthwork. Annotated ‘Mote’ on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map and depicted as a steep-sided mound which is partially enclosed by a fosse. Described in 1983 as a high steep-sided flat-topped earthen mound (diam. 20m; approx. H 7m) the base of which is enclosed by a fosse (Wth 4.5m) and external bank. The outer bank rises c. 0.5-1m high above the fosse. The fosse and outer bank are best preserved from SE-SW, although they are visible from SW-N. According to Salter (2004, 158) two fragments of a masonry structure possibly a castle, were visible on the summit of the motte. Earthworks to E of mound visible on aerial photographs may indicate location of a bailey. Monument is visible today as a substantial tree-lined mound enclosed by a fosse, on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 11 January 2019

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