Castle - motte and bailey, Grangefertagh, Co. Kilkenny
On a natural rise amid the marshy flatlands of an island formed by the splitting of the River Goul, stands one of Kilkenny's most intriguing medieval fortifications.
Castle - motte and bailey, Grangefertagh, Co. Kilkenny
This motte and bailey castle, known locally as ‘Mota na Fearta’ according to 1839 Ordnance Survey letters, commands impressive views across the landscape. To the east, Cullahill hill dominates the horizon, whilst the round tower at Grangefertagh can be spotted on a low ridge to the east-southeast, and Spahill rises prominently to the southeast.
The fortification consists of a substantial motte, measuring approximately 13.5 metres north to south and 17.5 metres east to west at its summit, rising 8.2 metres on its northern side. Adjacent to the west lies a kidney-shaped bailey, roughly 36 metres by 25 metres at the top, standing 5 metres high on its northern edge. Both structures, now heavily overgrown with dense scrub, are surrounded by a well-preserved defensive system including a berm of varying width, an outer bank incorporating the natural scarp, and a slight fosse at the base of the steep northern slope. The defensive perimeter shows possible entrance points in the northwest and northeast sectors, with the northwest featuring a gap where the outer bank terminates.
Southwest of the main fortification, several earthen banks run roughly north to south through an area of scrubland, some appearing to form what might have been a trackway approximately 80 metres long and 4.3 metres wide. However, these features likely relate to a 19th-century farmhouse shown on early Ordnance Survey maps rather than the medieval castle itself. Three mysterious depressions in the northwest quadrant, separated by banks, may result from later quarrying activities, as suggested by the 1839 map which indicates a small quarry in this vicinity.