Site of Shanganny Castle — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Shanganny Castle lost its walls to human hands, yet a shallow terrace and buried footings still mark the place where it stood beside the Nore. The earls of Ormond may have held it before the Bryan family, but no clear event has survived to explain why it was built or when it fell. That absence makes the castle less like a recorded fact and more like a room emptied of furniture: the shape remains, while the life has gone.

On a slight terrace on land rising steeply on the E side of the Nore river valley, in rolling grassland. There are good views to the N, S and W, but the view E is impeded by rising ground. The OS Letters (1839) describe the castle as consisting of, 'The western wall of Shanganny Castle, to the length of twenty six feet [c. 8m], and height of twenty feet [6m], remains in the same townland' (O'Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 1, 26 (9)). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 197), 'The townland formerly belonged to the Earls of Ormond, but, for a long time past, it has been in the possession of the Bryan family. There was a castle here, on the roadside, near the P.P.'s house. Its ruined walls were taken down in the memory of people still living. Nothing is know of its history'. There is no visible trace of the castle at ground level. However, it appears to have been located on a terrace (max. dims. 25m N-S; 20m E-W; D 0.3-0.5m) cut into hillside. There are wall-footings (L 10m; H 0.3m; T 1m) running E-W at the S side. S of the terrace there are traces of a trackway. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 18 December 2018

Shanganny Castle was held by the Purcell family from the 12th century until the mid-17th century; it is remembered for its strategic location overlooking the Nore river valley, which made it an important defensive position.

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.