Castle — Killiane

References to Killiane date from 1470 when it was held by the Hay family and to the castle from 1543 by which time it had passed to the Cheevers by whom it was forfeited in 1654 (Jeffrey 1979, 23 4). According to the Civil Survey (1654-5) George Cheevers owned 200 acres at Killiane and had a share in 122 acres in Ballycullen (Simington 1953, 300), which is probably Ballykilliane. In the 1660s the castle appears to have been granted to Francis Harvey, a merchant from Wexford town, and it continued in the Harvey family into the late 19th century at least. The Harveys adapted it in the 18th century and built a three storey house that is still occupied onto the E side of the tower house. (Jeffrey 1979, 23-4) It is located on a level, low-lying landscape, with the W shore of the South Slob of Wexford harbour c. 550m to the E. This is a tower house (ext. dims 11.7m NE-SW; 8.45m NE-SW) of five storeys surviving complete to the crenellated battlements with corner lookout platforms. The walls are battered and have good quoins. The original entrance, now blocked, on the NE side towards the E angle is protected by a murder hole operated from the second floor, but there is no machicolation over the doorway. The entrance led through the lobby to the ground floor (int. dims 8.35m NE-SW; 5.7m NW-SE) which has two embrasures in each wall except the NE, each with a double splayed loop, where surviving. There is a secondary entrance at the NE end of the SE wall, and original access to a mural stairs at the N end of the NE wall is protected by a murder hole operated from the second floor. The stairs rise in the NE wall, giving access through a lintelled doorway to the first floor under a NE-SW barrel-vault, with seats at a modified window in the SW wall, and the floor was supported on corbels in the NW and SE walls. The stairs continue in the NE wall to the second floor over the vault, where the upper opening of the main entrance murder-hole is at the head of the stairs. The second floor (int. dims 8.47m NE-SW; 5.95m NW-SE) has five embrasures with secondary windows. The only original features are a fireplace with a flue projecting on the outside of the wall in the NW wall and a garderobe at the W angle, while a brick fireplace and flue were inserted in the S corner. An entrance at the N end of the NE wall leads to a mural stairs in the NE wall which give access to the third and fourth storeys. The third floor has windows with seats in the NW, SW and SE wall, the last with two ogee headed lights. There is a damaged garderobe at the W angle, a fireplace in the NW wall and an ante-chamber at the E angle under the stairs. The ceiling was supported on corbels in the NW and SE walls, but joists were also set into these walls, probably in the 18th century. The fourth floor has a blocked or remodelled window in the NW, SW and SE walls. The mural stairs continue in the NE wall and emerge at the wall walk at the E angle. Steps on the inner side of the stepped crenellations in the NE and SW walls lead to look-outs over the angles that are supported on pillars to allow passage on the wall-walk beneath. There is a face corbel and a bellcote on the E look-out platform. The tower house is at the W angle of a bawn (int. dims. 34m NE-SW; 25m NW-SE) whose walls survive only at the SW (max. H 6m) and SE (H 6.8m) sides. There is a round arched entrance gateway (Wth 2.17m) protected by machicolation on the SW wall, and a stairs on the inner side of this wall leads to the wall walk of the bawn. There is a corner towers rising from the battlements at the S angle. The top of the SE bawn wall is possibly re-built since it lacks crenellations, but it has three gun loops in the parapet. A stone with the inscription 'IHE ANNO DOMINI 1693' is built into the wall of the bawn and may commemorate a re-building, while another stone has the inscription ‘IHM 1730’ (Vigors 1895 97, vol. 3, 178). There is a circular tower at the E corner of the bawn (diam. c. 3.5m, H 8.3m). There was a chapel (WX043-001----) c. 100m to the E, and there is a holy well (WX042-020003-) c. 80m to the SE. (Adams 1904, 235 6) See the attached section from the Down Survey (1656-8) parish map (N at right) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 725) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 28 May, 2013 Date of upload/revision: 17 July 2007