Granard Motte and Bailey Castle

National Monument No. 263. On top of a hill in pasture with impressive panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and overlooking the historic town of Granard (LF010-055----) c. 220m to the NE. Built within a hillfort (LF010-080002-) (Bradley et al. 1985, 18), it was constructed by Richard de Tuit in 1199 in order to suppress the O'Reilly's of S Breffny and as a frontier castle on the NW border of the Anglo-Norman lordship of Meath (Orpen 1911, vol. 2, 90, 128). In 1210 King John stayed here during his campaign against Hugh de Lacy (Orpen ibid., 262; Bradley et al. 1985, 15). It is the most likely location of the inauguration site (LF010-080003-) of the O'Farrells (Bán) (Bradley et al. ibid., 16; Fitzpatrick 2004, 21-2).

The monument comprises a high, subcircular, steep-sided mound (H c. 9-11m; dims. at base c. 50m ENE-WSW; c. 40m NNW-SSE) with a large D-shaped bailey (c. 150m ENE-WSW; c. 50m NNW-SSE) adjoining it from ESE-S-WSW; there is no fosse separating them. Upon the relatively level summit (27m NNW-SSE; 22m ENE-WSW), which is c. 4m above the level of the bailey, are an OS trigonometrical station and a statue of St Patrick, erected in June 1932. The ‘foundations of a shell wall round the top of the motte, and of a small round tower in the centre’ were noted in the early 20th century (Armitage 1912, 338-9): there is no visible trace of any of these features. A grotto was built into the N side of the monument in 1925 in the course of which a large quantity of stone was removed (using explosives) (SMR file). From WSW-N-ENE the base of the motte is encircled by a wide, deep, steep-sided, rock-cut fosse (Wth 10.5m; D 3.5m) with a wide, high, steep-sided external bank (Wth 8m; H 2.9m). The bailey is defined by the remains of an inner bank of earth and stone, a wide, deep, intervening fosse (Wth c. 12m) and a wide, high outer bank (Wth c. 10m; H c. 2m). The fragmentary remains of a later castle (LF010-080004-) are visible in the SE face of the motte. A medieval church (LF010-055001-) and graveyard (LF010-055002-) lie c. 100m to the N. (Westropp 1904, 323-4; Kearney 1969, 18-23; English 1971, 152; O'Donovan 2003, 31; Burns and Grier 2002, 144-5)