Liberty Castle

A castle in a ‘moss’ or bog in the area S of Derrymacky (Derrylagh?) is marked on the Strafford map of c. 1636, and all this area was owned by the Bishop of Meath in 1641 and the 1660s (Simington 1949, 62, Moycarn). A small structure (dims c. 5m x c. 5m) is marked on the 1837 and 1924-5 eds of the OS 6-inch map where it is described in Gothic lettering as ‘Liberty Castle’ on both. Situated on a level landscape. The featureless E wall (L 4m) and adjacent part of the N wall (L 2m) survive (T 1m; max. H c. 4.5m) of a rectangular structure (ext. dims 8.6m E-W; 6.5m N-S), traces of whose W and S walls (H 0.35m) are visible beneath a rubble cairn. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010

Liberty Castle was likely held by the Bishop of Meath in the mid-17th century, as the surrounding area was under his ownership in 1641 and the 1660s. It is remembered as a historical landmark in a remote boggy region, reflecting ecclesiastical landholdings in early modern Ireland.