Gateway in Portersgate

Situated at the NE end or the landward side of the fairly level, low-lying and narrow part of the Hook peninsula (L c. 4.5km NE-SW; Wth c. 600m-1.5km NW-SE). It is at the point where the roads from Duncannon and Fethard meet before continuing SW to Slade. The earliest reference to Portersgate is 1577 when Alexander Redmond had land there (Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 354). According to Walsh (1972, 7) the name is derived from a gateway which consisted of two piers, each topped with a limestone ball, that was situated between the roads, Two granite spheres (diam. c. 0.6m) are now atop two small piers to one side of the junction. Locally it is thought that the original piers were placed on either side of the road running SW to Slade. A granite stone plaque (Wth 0.71m; H 0.55m) is set into a roadside wall with an inscription that has almost worn away. It has been read (Colfer 2004, 143, Fig. 60) as ‘Porters-gate Park An Do 1703’ with ‘T. Power’ in the bottom left corner, perhaps a later addition. A small limestone plaque (Wth 0.53m; H 0.12m) is built into the wall of a nearby house and, although damaged, has the incised inscription ‘Loftus Hall / Esq 1680’. According to Walsh (1972, 7) this was part of an inscription that read in full ‘Henry Loftus of Loftus Hall, Esq. 1680’, which ran from one pier to the other. The piers were taken down c. 1930 (Colfer 2004, 145), but what remains indicates that they were similar to the gate-piers into the present Loftus Hall and another surviving set of piers further S that can be dated to the 18th century. If the inscriptions at Portersgate were on the piers, they might relate to a redevelopment of Redmond Hall (WX054-002----), c. 1.5km to the SW, that could have taken place c. 1700. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 5 February, 2014