A 2010 geophysical survey revealed the ghostly outline of a rectangular masonry structure, measuring 13 by 11 metres, about 160 metres from the main gatehouse. This wasn’t just any outbuilding; it served as one of the castle’s key administrative centres, where the sheriff conducted business and seignorial assizes were held. Medieval documents from the 15th century refer to it as the ‘Shirehall garden’, suggesting it sat within its own enclosed grounds in the castle’s Outer Ward.

The historical paper trail is remarkably detailed for a building that vanished centuries ago. In 1435, James, Earl of Ormond, granted William Boyd a plot of land just outside the Shirehall garden, stretching from its gate down to the River Nore. The indenture carefully describes the boundaries; between Boyd’s own garden and the earl’s, bordered by the castle wall on one side and the common road on the other. Boyd was to pay twelve pence silver annually and build on the land, returning it “styf and stanche” (stiff and staunch) after twenty years. Later that same year, custody of the ‘castle called le Shirhall gardeyne’ passed to Walter Glerne, who in 1449 also received two nearby messuages where John Mesioun and Thomas McRebir had lived.

The geophysical survey revealed more than just the castle foundations; it uncovered evidence of a substantial walled enclosure directly to the east, measuring 66 metres by 56 metres. The remarkably thick walls, between 4 and 6 metres wide, suggest they may have been reduced to their base batters over time. Within this space, the survey detected garden soils and what appears to be a formal garden layout complete with a central path and yard surface. This medieval administrative complex likely met its end during the first Duke of Ormonde’s ambitious remodelling of Kilkenny Castle, when the entire outer ward was cleared. By 1750, even the memory of the area’s former purpose had faded; the townland once known as ‘Danceing Meadow and other Small Inclosyers’ had become simply Dukesmeadows.