Castle - motte, Faughart Upper, Co. Louth

Castle – motte, Faughart Upper, Co. Louth

Crowning the summit of Faughart Hill in County Louth stands an impressive medieval motte, a substantial earthwork that commands views across the surrounding countryside in all directions except eastward.

Castle - motte, Faughart Upper, Co. Louth

This imposing structure consists of a large mound approximately 8 metres high with a base diameter of 38 metres, tapering to about 15.6 metres at its summit. A defensive ditch, or fosse, encircles the mound; measuring 5 to 6 metres wide and roughly 1.5 metres deep with an almost flat bottom. In places, the outer face of this ditch still shows remnants of its original drystone wall lining, though the northern and eastern sections have been partially filled where the modern road encroaches upon the monument.

The mound itself reveals fascinating construction details where erosion and quarrying have exposed its core. The lower portions consist of undisturbed boulder clay, whilst the upper layers contain substantial amounts of greywacke mixed with clay, indicating deliberate engineering in its creation. Atop the motte sit the remains of a stone structure, with walls that are best preserved from the northwest to southeast sections. These walls, bonded with mortar and displaying a distinct outward slope, or batter, stand up to 0.6 metres high in places with widths of approximately 1 metre. A possible entrance can be identified on the eastern side, marked by what appears to be a stone door jamb on its southern edge. Historical illustrations from Wright’s 1758 work depict an octagonal enclosure surrounding the summit with two ramps extending outward; one of these ramps remains visible today at the northeast, constructed from large uncut boulders and measuring about 0.8 to 0.9 metres wide.



The site bears witness to multiple periods of use and modification throughout its history. The stone fortifications atop the motte may date to the Elizabethan era, when Lord Mountjoy reportedly established camp here several times during the Tyrone rebellion. The northwest section of the summit reveals evidence of secondary construction, with both inner and outer wall segments still visible. Unfortunately, cattle damage and quarrying activities, particularly on the south and southwest sides, have taken their toll on this remarkable monument, though enough survives to appreciate its former defensive strength and commanding position over the Louth countryside.

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Howard, S. 1906 Faughart, Co. Louth and its surroundings. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 36, 59-74. Wright, T. 1748 Louthiana: or an introduction to the antiquities of Ireland. London. Thomas Payne.
Faughart Upper, Co. Louth
54.05222441, -6.38609806
54.05222441,-6.38609806
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