What is recorded here

Tankardstown castle stood north of its church on the west bank of the River Barrow, built to watch the river crossing. By the Down Survey of 1654-7 it was already ruined, joined by a ruined church and scattered houses in the undulating field. Thomas Hovenden held the lands in 1641, but the castle had lost its shape before the surveyors drew it. The site is level now, yet the river still passes the place where stone once watched it flow.

Tankardstown Church (LA026-009004-) with castle to N is depicted on the Down Survey (1654-7) map of Ballyadams Barony (Hib. Reg.). The terrier of the 17th century Down Survey map of Tankardstown parish recorded that; 'There is in Tankardstowne a ruined Castle and Church with some ruined Houses' (NLI, MS 720). In 1641, Thomas Hovenden, an 'Irish Papist' is listed as the proprietor of the lands in Tankardstown which amounted to 565 acres of profitable land and 11 acres of unprofitable land (ibid.). Levelled castle site, in undulating countryside 75m W of the River Barrow. St. Thomas's Well (LA026-009002-) 135m to SE, Tankardstown church (LA026-009004-) and graveyard (LA026-009003-) 175m to S. No visible surface remains. Tankardstown church and castle described in the History of the Queens Count as 'An old castle and a church (LA026-009004-), with some ruined houses, are marked in Tankardstown Parish, on Sir William Petty's Maps. Within the large townland of Tankardstown, Queen's County, on the west side of the River Barrow, are to be seen the old church, at present in ruins, and within a graveyard. Near it is St. Thomas' Well (LA026-009002-). On the north side of it the site of a castle is to be found while about one quarter of a mile to the south, the site of another castle (LA026-010----) may be traced; both of these former erections seem to have been intended to command the passage over the River Barrow' (O'Hanlon and O'Leary 1907, vol. 1, 336). See attached Down Survey map showing the castle and church of Tankardstown, courtesy of the Library of Trinity College Dublin. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 4 October 2022

The castle at Tankardstown was likely built in the 17th century, as recorded in the Down Survey of 1654–57, and was associated with the local parish and landholding structures of the period. It is remembered as part of the historical landscape of Ballyadams Barony, reflecting early modern land use and settlement patterns in Ireland.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.