Oratory — Farnaght

Situated on a low-lying, undulating landscape outside the graveyard (LE036-021001-) at SW, but within a small subcircular rath (LE036-021005-). A ‘stone house' with a chimney is depicted on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Mohill at Farnaght, and the terrier or commentary mentions it again and lists Bryan Reynolds as the proprietor (See this web-page accessed on 12/12/2019: http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/history.html). He also owned land in eight other townlands in Cloone parish amounting to over 700 acres in total. Local information from the 1940s (SMR file) relates how the ruin was covered in a mound of clay until exposed by Lord Leitrim about the middle of the nineteenth century. The cairn surrounds the castle on every side but is greatest (at S: Wth of base 3.5m; H 1-1.2m) where the castle walls survive to the greatest height (2m) at E and S. The walls of a tower house (ext. dims c. 9m N-S; c. 6m E-W) are misinterpreted on the 1907 edition of the OS 6-inch map as a church where the ruin is described as an ‘Oratory’. The S wall (H c. 2m) has a pointed doorway (Wth 0.93m; H 1.6m) at the centre and a severe base-batter. The doorway leads to a passage (L 2.4m N-S) in the thickness of the S wall with a newel or spiral stairs off it on the W side entered by a pointed doorway (Wth 0.67m; H 1.55m). From the passage there is direct access to the ground floor (int. dims 4.3m N-S; 3.3m E-W), but just the base of the walls survive at N. See the attached views taken from the SE _1 and SW _2. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 23 September 2008 Amended: 7 January 2020