What appears today as an unremarkable patch of ground once held a succession of significant structures, each built from the bones of its predecessor. The story begins with a medieval friary that stood here until the late 16th century, when the lands passed into the hands of Francis Cosbye in 1592. His substantial holdings included not just the friary and its buildings, but also a mill with its mill-race, several castles, cottages, gardens, orchards, and some 345 acres of surrounding land.

The Cosbies, new to the area and keen to establish their presence, made dramatic changes to the landscape. They demolished the old O’Mores’ castle, which had long dominated the site, and used its stones to construct their own fortified house. According to Father Mooney’s research from 1955, Francis Cosby didn’t stop there; he also plundered stone from the demolished friary to complete his new stronghold. This practice of recycling building materials was common in the period, serving both practical and symbolic purposes by literally building new power structures atop the old.

Today, visitors to this spot on Main Street will find no visible trace of either the medieval friary, the O’Mores’ castle, or the Cosby fortified house that replaced them. The site has been completely levelled, its turbulent history buried beneath the modern streetscape. Yet the archaeological record, documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Laois and revised by researcher Caimin O’Brien, preserves the memory of these vanished buildings and the families who fought to control this strategic position in the village centre.