Castle (in Ruins) — Ballynaraw South

In a marshy area, covered in rushes, on the SE bank of the Bunnanaddan river. Fragmentary remains of a rectangular structure (int. dims. 11m NE-SW; 5.95m NW-SE) stand in the centre of a slightly raised roughly D-shaped area (22m SW-NE; 25m SE-NW) noticeably drier than the surrounding terrain. Parts of the outside face of a battered masonry wall survive at the N, W and S corners (max. H 3.3m; Wth c. 1.9m) of the rectangular structure. A central gap on the NE side may indicate the doorway position. The interior is now c. 1m above the level of the outside ground, probably due to the accumulation of fallen masonry. The arc of a fosse (Wth 5m; D 0.1m) is evident at the edge of the raised area on the S side and the arc of a second fosse (Wth 7m) is evident E-SE, 13m outside the edge of the raised area. Field boundaries abut the edge of the raised area to NE and E. A silted-up tailrace (SL038-065003-), associated with a 19th-century corn mill to NE, skirts the edge of the raised area at N. Recorded in 1836 as 'Cáislean Bhun na Neadáin' (OSL, 171); Lewis (1837, vol. 1, 380) credits its building to the MacDonaghs. 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