Whilst the 1838 Ordnance Survey map and its 1900 revision clearly mark this spot as a castle site, no trace of the structure remains visible at ground level today. This phantom fortress represents one of many lost castles that once dotted the Irish landscape, their stones long since repurposed or reclaimed by the earth.

The castle’s existence is well documented in the Down Survey maps of 1655-6, Ireland’s first systematic land survey carried out under Oliver Cromwell. On the barony map of Cranagh, the castle appears with a substantial house to its west, whilst the parish map of Tulleroane shows it accompanied by two houses; one to the west and another to the south. These detailed surveys, now housed at Trinity College Dublin, provide a fascinating snapshot of mid-17th century Kilkenny, capturing settlements that would later vanish from the landscape.

The accompanying terrier reveals that in 1640, the property belonged to one John Grace, identified as Protestant, whose lands at ‘Ouldtowne’ remained unforfeited following the 1641 Rising. This small but significant detail tells us that Grace, unlike many of his neighbours, chose not to support the Irish Catholic rebellion against English Protestant rule, thereby retaining his estates when others lost theirs. The castle’s eventual disappearance sometime between the 17th century surveys and the 19th century Ordnance Survey maps reflects the broader transformation of Ireland’s built heritage, where medieval and early modern fortifications gradually gave way to more peaceful agricultural landscapes.