Lacken Castle

On a gentle SW-facing slope in undulating pasture with a marshy area in the immediate vicinity. Indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of ‘The Liberties of the Citty of Kilkenny’ and on the Down Survey parish map ‘Canice in the Liberties of the Citty of Kilkenny’ as a tower house like castle (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The terrier accompanying the parish map lists 'Henry Archer I[rish] P[apist]' as the proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). The castle is depicted in the 17th-century townland of Capaghmore. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 198), 'Cappagh, otherwise Cappaghmore, otherwise Cappanagearagh, was forfeited by Henry Archer, Irish Papist, in 1653. Cappagh was an ancient manor to which Newtown, and Fowlingrath, now Holdensrath are mentioned as belonging. There was a castle here, of which some traces still remain'. On the 1st (1839-40) ed. OS 6-inch map the castle is indicated in Cappagh townland, subsequently the townland boundary was redrawn and by the 1945-6 revision of the OS 6-inch map the castle is in Lacken townland.

The castle was located centrally within a rectangular bawn (KK019-001002-). The remains now consist of an uneven, raised, sod-covered rectangular area (24m NW-SE x 22m NE-SW). Remnants of masonry, composed of limestone rubble and mortar, have been removed to the E corner of the moated site.