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Castle - unclassified

Moonhall Castle

Castle ruin in Moonhall, barony of Gowran, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentNot recorded
  • DateNot stated
  • FolkloreNone recorded
  • PhotoWanted
Moonhall, Co. Kilkenny52.65849, -7.12059
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Unofficial guide. Not the National Monuments Service, the OPW, Fáilte Ireland or the landowner. Disclaimer

At a glance

  • TypeCastle - unclassified
  • Recorded sizeext. 15.7m NE-SW x 8.5m NW-SE

Picked out from the Archaeological Survey description below.

Can you visit?

  • No source says it is open to the public.Most monuments in Ireland stand on private farmland.
  • Ask the landowner before crossing fields, close gates, leave the stones as you find them.Visiting responsibly
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History and description

Midway down an E-facing slope in marshland. This castle is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran, in what was then the townland of 'Grangecoolepople' and on the Down Survey parish map of Teiscoffin (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin).

Full archaeological record 170 words

Midway down an E-facing slope in marshland. This castle is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran, in what was then the townland of 'Grangecoolepople' and on the Down Survey parish map of Teiscoffin (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The terrier which accompanied the parish map does not survive so there is no information on who the proprietor was in 1640.

A very ruinous rectangular castle (ext. dims. 15.7m NE-SW x 8.5m NW-SE) largely visible as grass-covered wall-footings, with the NW and NE wall-footings of an adjoining annex at the W angle (L 2.6m and 3m respectively). The walls of the main structure have collapsed and slumped outwards (Wth 2m; max. H 1.1m). Where visible, remnants of extant masonry indicate randomly coursed limestone rubble construction. There is an associated well (KK020-022002-), known as 'Castle Well', c. 110m to the SW of castle on the E bank of a stream. The earthworks of a deserted settlement (KK020-022004-) are visible immediately E and S of the castle.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Jean Farrelly · Updated 24 November 2020. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

More castles nearby

Also recorded nearby

Named sites within 5 km with only a short entry in the Archaeological Survey.

  • Freneystown CastleCastle - tower house · Freneystown · 2.5 km · official record
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      Around Moonhall Castle

      Other heritage nearby

      Recorded within 5 km

      Walks and trails

      • East Kilkenny Cycle RouteRoad Cycling Trail · 62.6 km · nearest point 5.0 km
      • South Kilkenny Cycle LoopRoad Cycling Trail · 43.2 km · nearest point 5.2 km
      • Nore Valley Walk - Kilkenny to Bennetsbridge SectionLong Distance Waymarked Way · 8.2 km · nearest point 5.8 km

      Outdoors, towns and places to stay

      • Coill an FhaltaighForests · 14 km
      • JenkinstownForests · 14 km
      • Ballykeefe Nature ReserveNature reserves · 19 km
      • GowranWalled towns · 5.0 km
      • KilkennyWalled towns · 8.9 km

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