Castle — unclassified in Kingsfort (tirerrill By.)

On level ground, to the SE of Ballintogher village. It was recorded in the 1940s that the ruins of Ballintogher Castle were located 'to the rear of the Garda Barracks', and consisted of a 'portion of wall about 8ft [2.43m] high with no architectural features' (Faughnan 1943). The barracks was demolished in 1992. It was named 'Constabulary Barrack' on the 1913 OS 6-inch map and occupied the site of a large house, named 'Old Castle', on the 1838 OS 6-inch map. According to Lewis (1837, vol. 1, 119), 'Oldcastle' occupied the site of 'the ancient castle of Kingsfort.' According to local information, there was a structure immediately behind the Constabulary Barrack, the remaining wall of which was described as roughly 5m high (long axis NW-SE) and c. 1.5m thick, with a wall-walk and crenellations. It was removed within living memory. At the rear (NE) of the site formerly occupied by the barracks are two lengths of stone wall forming a boundary. From the roadway to the SE, a wall (H 2m; T 0.6m) runs NW for 40m before turning at a right angle to the SW for a short return (L 1.4m). The wall, built of random rubble, is broken-off at either end. In the short return is a small loop with its opening (H 0.3m; Wth 0.1m) facing SE. Parallel with the main stretch of the latter wall, but 2.4m further SW than it, is a second length of wall (L 25m; H 1.7m; T 0.9m) also built of random rubble and also broken off at either end. The gap between both walls is filled by a pile of loose stones. Midway along this second length of wall is a gateway (Wth c. 2.55m) whose jambs do not survive but the socket for a drawbar (H 0.25m; Wth 0.2m; D 2.4m) survives on the SE side. Ballintogher was an O'Conor castle which was described as having been seized by O'Rorke in 1567 (Wood-Martin 1882, 293). By the 1630s it was already a ruin (Wood-Martin 1889, 184) but was subsequently rebuilt as 'a fortified house' by John Leslie in the 1680s and had a garrison placed in it during the 1688-9 disturbances (ibid., 106). The loop in the return wall is very plain in design and could be placed in either a 16th or 17th-century context. Subsequent to the site inspection in 2002, the entire length of wall to the NW and the NW end of the other wall, including the return with the loop, were demolished during construction work at the site in 2003 (pers. comm. J. O'Shaughnessy). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008