Settlement deserted — medieval in Ballybuggy

The 'ancient town of Ballybuggy' extended in a SE direction from graveyard (LA034-004002-). Its foundations coverd an area of six Irish acres c. 1850 but by the early 1900s, as a result of reclamation it was reduced in size to one an a half acres (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 342). The surviving features consist of two adjacent enclosures. The W enclosure (dims c. 30m E-W, c. 35m N-S) is defined by a bank (Wth c. 3m, int. H c. 0.5m, ext. H c. 1.6m) except at S and a shallow fosse at W. The E enclosure (dims c. 48m E-W, c. 60m N-S) is defined by a bank (Wth c. 1.7m; H c. 0.5m) and a fosse (Wth c. 2.3m) at N. The interior is divided into three sections by E-W running banks. A house site (dims. c. 10m N-S, 7m E-W) with the possible original entrance at W, is visible at NW, at least three house platforms lie in S section, one with a possible central dividing wall. Described by Carrigan as 'Stretching from the graveyard (LA034-004002-) to the south-east, lay the ancient "town of Ballybuggy". Sixty or seventy years ago its foundations covered an area of six Irish acres; at present, as most of the land has been reclaimed, they extend over but an acre and a half. The people say, and apparently with good reason, that in far off times, this was the chief town of the district (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 342). Described by Candon as 'Situated on the summit and southern slope of a low knoll which steeply slopes to the W and N. The site consists of a D-shaped graveyard (LA034-004002-) located on top of a raised circular area, which has a bank at its northern end with a series of at least nine conjoined rectangular enclosures, called tofts, stretching away from the graveyard on its southern and south-eastern sides. These tofts have the remains of structures within them (Candon 1986, 234). 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