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Castle Sites in Offaly
- By OHAS
- Published 09/1/2007
- Archaeology
KILMAINE
OS 35:12:3 (916,231) 'Carroll's Castle (site of )' OD 200-300 21245, 20503
Castle (site) Situated in in the low-lying floodplains of the Camcor River
which runs to the N of the castle, and the Fuarawn River which flows in
a N-S direction to W of the site. Mentioned in 1667 in the Quit Rent Survey
and Distribution Book for the Parish of Shyrikyan (SeirKieran) as the
property of Owen Carroll, son of Daniel Carroll of Ballymooney (877).
The remains of the castle comprise no more than a few grass-covered mounds
of loosely piled rubble enclosed at S and E by a broad fosse (Wth 3m;
D 0.5n). An entry in the Birr journal for 1690 indicates that there were
gardens at Kilmaine. In February of that year an observer had seen 'a
load of cypress trees, tulips, and other flower roots, and herbs' being
taken from Sir Laurence Parsons' garden at Birr and carried to Kilmaine
for resetting in the gardens of Lieutenant Colonel Owen Carroll (pers.
comm. A. Leonard). (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 25)
35:19 17-1-94
KILNAGARNAGH
OS 7:13:2 (145,136) Not Indicated OD 200-300 21389, 22952
Castle (site) Situated in pasture-land within Kilnagarnagh Demesne. The
Down Survey barony map of Garrycastle shows a tower house in this townland.
It was in the ownership of John Mc Fir Mac Coghlan in 1641 (Loeber Survey
1988). The site of the castle is now occupied by Kilnagarnagh House. No
visible remains at ground level.
7:61 18-10-93
KINLCORA
OS 14:12:6 (911,222) Not Indicated OD 100-200 21227, 22401
Castle (site) Situated on a natural rise in the floodplain of the River
Brosna which it overlooks to W. According to Mathew de Renzy, writing
in 1616 and again in 1620, the castle of Kincora was built by Sir Richard
Tuite and the bawn about it was by James Og Mac Coghlan in whose possession
it was at that time. In addition to the castle he described the abandoned
'great town' of Kincora which than been 'builded by the English where
they had a fair and market and the streets of the towne are yet to be
seene and went by the English names' (Mac Cuarta 1987, 122, 177). De Renzy
also made a proposal for the construction of a 'stony bridge' over the
Brosna at Kincora (ibid., 175). The castle was in the ownership of John
Mac Coghlan in 1641 (Loeber Survey 1988). Its site may be identified as
grass-covered wall-footings of a building situated to W of the 19th-century
house in Kincora. The presence of a late medieval punch-dressed window
jamb incorporated into the side of the demesne wall suggests that the
castle masonry is likely to have been used to build the later house, its
outbuilding and demesne wall.
14:46 26-11-93
KYLEBEG OR BANAGHER
OS 21:16:4 (754,26) Not Indicated OD 100-200 20092, 21545
Castle (site) Situated within the town of Banagher overlooking the River
Shannon to N. In a concerted effort to plant Delvin Mac Coghlan plans
were made in 1621 to erect a fort or plantation castle in Banagher. In
1624 the fortification was completed under the direction of Sir Arthur
Blundell and named Fort Falkland after Sir Henry Carey, Viscount Falkland,
who was appointed Lord Deputy in 1622. A drawing of this stronghold made
by Nicholas Pynnar in 1624 shows a long rectangular building with gabled
roof, placed within a large rectangular enclosure with battered and crenellated
walls and surrounded by a moat. A circular tower containing several cruciform
gun loops positioned at the corner facing into the river and a twin bastioned
gatehouse with drawbridge was placed on the opposite side (Bradley 1986,
14).
21:3 31-1-94
LEHINCH
OS 8:7:2 (580,437) Not Indicated OD 200-300 228822, 23280
Castle (site) Situated in pasture-land N of the River Brosna. The property
of Hubert Fox in the late 16th and early 17th century (Loeber Survey 1988).
The site of the castle is now occupied by Lehinch House. No visible remains
at ground level.
8:60 4-6-93
LISCLOONEY
OS 22:1:1 (79,538) 'Lisclooney Castle (in ruins)' OD 200-300 20342, 22088
Castles (sites) Situated in flat well-drained land commanding good views
of the surrounding countryside. There appears to have been two castles
at this site; the annals (AFM., vol.5 1543) record the completion of the
castle 'Lis-cluaine' by Melaghlin O'Dalaghan on the festival of St. Matthew
the evangelist in 1556, while Mathew de Renzy writing in 1620 explained
that the 'fine and stately seat of the castle of Liscluna' then in the
hands of Hugh O'Dalaghan, had replaced an earlier castle called 'Cul Fiamhaigh',
the ruins of which are still to be seen in 1620 within the parkland of
its successor. De Renzy described the then castle of Lisclooney as 'one
of the principalst seats' in Delvin Mac Coghlan, Englischlike seated with
a fine parke neare it and goodly meddows belonging to it upon the Shenen
side' (Mac Cuarta 1987, 170-73). In 1641 Lisclooney was still in the hands
of Hugh O'Dalaghan but it was assigned to the Duke of York in 1666 (Loeber
Survey 1988). The present structure at Lisclooney is an L-plan house (963)
which may be synonymous with O'Dalaghan's castle, but it could have been
erected later on its site. (Cooke 1875, 335; O'Flangan 1933, vol. 1, 59;
ITA Survey 1942)
22:1 25-11-93
MILLTOWN
OS 30:5:4 (44,314) 'Milltown Ho.' OD 100-200 20319, 21209
Castle (site) Situated in pasture-land E of Rapemills River. Writing to
Lord Deputy St Lord Deputy St John in 1620, Mathew de Renzy described
the castle of Baile na Muilean as ' builded uppon a rock and a pleasant
streame running close by the wall of it, with good land about it' located
near the pass from Delvin Mac Coghlan into Ely O'Carroll, and then in
the hands of Melaghlin Lia Mac Coghlan (Mac Cuarta 1987, 169). In 1641
the castle and the lands at Milltown were in the ownership of Arthur Coghlan.
In 1666 the property was granted to Joshua Hensy (Loeber Survey 1988).
Milltown House was built on its site.
30:22 8-12-93
