Market-house in Townparks (upper Dundalk By.)

According to Gosling (1982, 162, No. 24; 1991, fig. 20, No. 5) this is the site of a structure known as the tholsel, one of a number of buildings known to have stood in the medieval town of Dundalk. It may have been one of the '18 or 20 ruinous remains of small castles or defensive towers' said to have been removed at Lord Limerick's insistence c. 1747. (CLAJ 1963, 287-8; Bradley and King 1985, 127) The above description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of revision: 22 April 2016