What is recorded here

Site of Palace is a moated site in Cloonfree, County Roscommon, Ireland. It marks O'Conor's house at Clonfree, named in two 14th century Gaelic poems and the Annals for 1306. The poems detail its defences, fortified entrance, hall and other houses. Earthen banks and flat-bottomed moats still outline the rectangular plan, with a gap toward the west end of the south side marking the entrance.

Just off the crest of a gentle SE-facing slope. This is O'Conor's house at Clonfree described in two 14th century Gaelic poems (Quiggin 1913; McKenna 1923) and described in the Annals as the 'square fort' of Cloonfree in 1306 (Graham 1988, 31; Doran 2005, 387-8). The poems provide a detailed description of its defences, fortified entrance, a hall, and other houses (Finan and O'Conor 2002; 2003). Scrub-covered rectangular area (dims. 36.1m E-W; 29.4m N-S) defined by overgrown, flat-topped earthen banks (Wth of top 1.4-2.1m; Wth of base 4.1-5.1m; int. H 0.7-1m; ext. H 1.8-2.3m), flat-bottomed moats (Wth of top 6.2-8m; Wth of base 4-5m; ext. D 1.3-1.5m) and outer overgrown flat-topped earthen banks (Wth of top 1-3m; Wth of base 3.6-5.9m; ext. H 0.6-1.4m) but the outer bank at E has been removed (max. ext. dims. c. 61m E-W; 54.8m N-S). The entrance is towards the W end of the S side and consists of gaps in the inner (Wth 2.1m) and outer (Wth 2.8m) banks, and there are traces of stone facing on the inner edge of the inner bank near the SE angle. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 29th September, 2010

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.