Blackrath Castle — Blackrath

In a farmyard near the W-edge of a low pasture ridge. According to Tickell (1960, 370, 373), Blackrath Castle and its lands were leased by the Eustaces in 1536. A fairly poorly preserved small, two-storied rectangular structure (int. 5.4m E-W; 4m N-S; ext 7.45m E-W; 6.4m N-S; H c. 6m) is built of thin randomly coursed flags, and is abutted at W by a later building. Entered through a plain lintelled doorway (Wth 1.2m) in the N wall, the ground floor is lit by two loops, in the E and W walls. Ground floor-level is roofed by a barrel vault, orientated E-W (H 2.1m). Although there is no internal access to the upper floor levels, an infilled square ope (L 0.8m; Wth 0.8m) in the underside of the vault may have allowed internal access to occur. Externally, the wall faces carry a lot of ivy, but a rectangular ope (Wth. c. 1m) can be made out in the S wall at first floor-level. Its small size and lack of direct easy access to the upper floor-levels suggest it may have been the defensive tower of a bawn? Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 30 October 2013