Knockaunakill (ruins)

In pasture, prominently located on a limestone knoll in undulating grassland broken by rocky outcrops. Named ‘Knockaunakill Castle’ on the 1838 and 1920 OS 6-inch maps; the 1838 edition shows a square building abutted at N and S by field boundaries; by the time of the 1920 edition only the N part of the castle is shown. A fragment of the E wall (L 4m NNW–SSE; T 0.8m; int. H 2m; ext. H 3m) still stands. It is in poor condition, largely denuded of its stone facing but retains a hint of a base batter. At its N end there is a short return (L 3.3) to WSW. The upstanding remains appear to represent the NE angle of the rectangular building (c. 7-8m ENE–WSW; c. 5m NNW–SSE), the remainder of which is outlined by a stony scarp. A field wall on a roughly N–S axis crosses the centre of the structure. A displaced lump of wall masonry has tumbled downslope c. 10m to SW. A fragment of punch-dressed stone, probably from a centred door arch, suggests that the castle was most likely a tower house of 15th-century date. At NE 3-4m from the castle wall, the knoll slope (H 3-4m) falls steeply. On the W–NW side of the castle, a gentler slope drops to a level terrace from the W edge of which there is another steep fall of ground. The terrace is enclosed by wall footings, suggesting that it served as a bawn (MA091-0190011), with the castle located in the SE corner. A rath (MA091-018----) located c. 350m to NNW. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 9 February 2022