Settlement deserted — medieval in Castlebrack

SW and down-slope from the ruined tower house (LA001-004001-), church (LA001-004003-) and graveyard (LA001-004-) appears to have been the site of a deserted medieval village. Slight remains of earthworks visible. Walls c. 1m thick discovered some years ago in this area. In the O'Doyne Manuscript, it claims that Tadhg Mac Laighnigh Ui Duinn (O'Doyne/Dunne) in 1475 was the builder of this castle (K.W. Nicholls (ed.) 1983, p. 116-7.). In 1608 the castle is described as 'a castle , hall, parlour at end of hall, kitchen, brewhouse, Bakehouse and the rest of the houses within the bawn the haggart and bawns on S side of castle, the garden, the orchard, the parke, the stable and houses for cattle on the west side and also the houses and tenements for tenants and other uses on N and W parts of the said town of Castlebrack (Nicholls (ed.) 1983, 40). Archaeological testing in the vicinity of the tower house and deserted settlement was carried out by John Purcell in 2004 under excavation licence no. 04E1048. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007