Survey

cfuserkildare · 11-08-2013 11:26pm #1

Hey folks,

has there been a proper archaeological survey done relating to the area around Carbury Castle?

Been looking at Google Maps and the more I see it, the more ground markings seem to appear.

cfuserkildare · 14-08-2013 2:41pm

Hey folks,

I had a quick look on the NMI site, and from what I can find, the areas to the East of the Complex has not been investigated.
There are so many strange looking marks on the ground but no-one deems them important.

bawn79 · 15-08-2013 2:06pm

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Hey folks,

I had a quick look on the NMI site, and from what I can find, the areas to the East of the Complex has not been investigated.
There are so many strange looking marks on the ground but no-one deems them important.

I'm sure they do deem them important - its just there is so much potential stuff in Ireland, its a case of what to look at next.

If you identify something you can report as a national monument and it may be checked out. Simon Dowling helped report a previously unidentified monument on this very forum in the last year and it will now be added to the record.

Just checking JSTOR and a ring barrow was excavated on the hill in 1938. (If you take out a subscription of the magazine Archaeology Ireland you get free access). Might be worth a look.

cfuserkildare · 15-08-2013 4:06pm

Cheers Bawn79,

It just looks to me like a very busy and very long occupied site.

Perhaps more important than is generally thought.

The ground marks around the Eastern side of the complex look like those of a substantial Hamlet.

Also I feel that the mound at the North West of the Castle seems like it was there for a lot longer than the castle existed.

Any thoughts?

bawn79 · 16-08-2013 12:18pm

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Cheers Bawn79,

It just looks to me like a very busy and very long occupied site.

Perhaps more important than is generally thought.

The ground marks around the Eastern side of the complex look like those of a substantial Hamlet.

Also I feel that the mound at the North West of the Castle seems like it was there for a lot longer than the castle existed.

Any thoughts?

Id totally agree with you - the barrows for instance are bronze age.

http://www.megalithicireland.com/Carbury%20Castle,%20Kildare.html

So I'd say there was long occupation in this area and a lot of reuse.

I've always been in support of some mottes etc being built upon existing structures. For instance I put forward that Knockgraffon Motte in Tipperary may have been.
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/11389/knockgraffon_motte.html

See here as well for more folklore - states that the hill was know as the Fairy Mound of Neachtain. So I'd say its very likely to be a reused mound of some kind.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/46467/folklore/trinity_well.html#comments

cfuserkildare · 16-08-2013 1:16pm

Excellent,

I always thight it was a site worthy of investigation.

Considering the proximity of other castles / houses in the area, and the fact that it alligns with several other earthworks I have looking at, It could be a more important site than is thought.

The beginnings of the Boyne would tie in nicely due to the Celtic tradition of Springs being places of reverance.

Regarding re-use of sites it would obviously make more sense to re-use a site of strategic usefullness, so I think that most earthworks would have been re-used. Look at Rathmore Co .Kildare. Large Motte but in the bottom of the field there were items datable to 250AD, probably even older still to be found.

Meathlass · 16-08-2013 2:59pm

bawn79 wrote: »

I've always been in support of some mottes etc being built upon existing structures. For instance I put forward that Knockgraffon Motte in Tipperary may have been.
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/11389/knockgraffon_motte.html

See here as well for more folklore - states that the hill was know as the Fairy Mound of Neachtain. So I'd say its very likely to be a reused mound of some kind.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/46467/folklore/trinity_well.html#comments

Knockgraffon Motte is on a strategic site along the river Suir so it wouldn't be unusual if it was also the site of a pre-existing medieval or even earlier site.

Kicking Bird · 18-08-2013 11:25am

Hi cfuser,

I'm not sure if you were aware that Harvard University carried out a series of excavations in Carbury in the late 1930's?The team began excavations on three mounds/barrows on the summit of Carbury Hill in August of 1936.I got this info. from a publication 'Conflict and Curses in Carbury',a history of Carbury.The author,Michael McKee,is/was a national school principal in neighbouring Ticknevin.Michael studied archaeology prior to teaching.My advice(if you're not shy!)is to contact him and he may very well be aware of what those other curious anomalies are close to the castle ruins.I know his plan was to publish a second volume relating to the later(late-medieval and post-medieval)history of Carbury,but I'm not sure if this ever came to fruition.

There's no doubt that Carbury was an important territory in the late Iron age and early medieval periods and in fact was mentioned more than once in the annals of Ulster, the Four Masters and Clonmacnoise.It was an independent buffer state situated between the provinces of Meath and Laighin.

If you live in Kildare,I'd check out your local library to see if they have this book.If not,you're more than welcome to borrow my copy for a while.

I've attached several pages of the book relating to some of the findings of the Harvard excavation team.

cfuserkildare · 18-08-2013 11:19pm

Just saw this:-

53.366533,-6.97421

and not sure if it is something of relevance,

Looks like some sort of enclosure.

Probably not but you never know.

cfuserkildare · 26-08-2013 11:25pm

I have been interested in Edenderry area recently and from whay I can find, there has been very little work done to the north of the town.

Has anybody else seen this or came to the conclusion that there is a lot more going on than we know there (historically I mean).

Let me know.

Kevhog1988 · 02-07-2014 11:47am

are you still looking into this?? I'm from the area, just down the road in carbury village and would have read up on the history of the area a lot as a child. Mr Mckees book is very good. Does anyone know if copies can still be bought?? our national school had a copy

cfuserkildare · 02-07-2014 3:55pm

Hey theemigrant,

Any information you can dig up would be very useful.

As you are no doubt aware, the castle itself will fall down soon.

Great pity, because the whole layout of the hill and the areas North and West of the Castle look very worked to me, also the fields to the North East are also intriguing.

So any help would be deeply appreciated.

Kevhog1988 · 02-07-2014 11:06pm

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Hey theemigrant,

Any information you can dig up would be very useful.

As you are no doubt aware, the castle itself will fall down soon.

Great pity, because the whole layout of the hill and the areas North and West of the Castle look very worked to me, also the fields to the North East are also intriguing.

So any help would be deeply appreciated.

Theres supposed to be a tunnel interlinking carbury castle and grange castle (kinnefad area)

cfuserkildare · 03-07-2014 8:54am

Yeh,

Somebody told me that recently also,
Wonder if there is any truth to it?

Kevhog1988 · 21-07-2014 2:49pm

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Yeh,

Somebody told me that recently also,
Wonder if there is any truth to it?

Im not sure tbh…. there was tunnels discovered in blundell wood area of edenderry last year.

Have you read mr mckees book regarding cadbury castle??
Fr Murphy is a massive wealth of knowledge on history of cadbury. He's always willing to help anyone completing a bit of research.

Survey

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