Site of Kilmacogue Castle, Kilmacogue, Co. Tipperary North

Co. Tipperary |

Masonry Castles

Site of Kilmacogue Castle, Kilmacogue, Co. Tipperary North

Situated on the southeastern slope of a hillock in the uplands of North Tipperary, the earthwork remains of Kilmacogue Castle tell a story of medieval fortification and subsequent destruction.

The site was already in ruins by 1654, when the Civil Survey recorded it simply as 'the site of a demolished castle', suggesting its demise occurred sometime during the turbulent medieval or early modern period.

What remains today is a compact defensive earthwork measuring 11.5 metres north to south and 9 metres east to west. The square area is enclosed by a substantial earth and stone bank, flat-topped and averaging 3.2 metres in width, standing 1.5 metres high on the interior and reaching up to 2 metres on the exterior. This bank is surrounded by an outer fosse, or defensive ditch, also 3.2 metres wide though now only 0.4 metres deep, likely having been partially filled over the centuries. A break in the southwestern section may mark the original causewayed entrance.

The castle's strategic placement becomes clearer when considering its proximity to a medieval road that once ran to the north of the site. This earthwork fortification, whilst modest in scale compared to stone castles, would have served as an effective defensive position controlling movement through this upland region. Such earthwork castles were common in medieval Ireland, particularly in areas where stone was less readily available or where rapid construction was necessary during periods of conflict.

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