Skenagun

Area

946 m²

Buildings

5 buildings touch it. Their footprint covers 310 m².

Zoning

M2 Town Centre (Kildare County Development Plan 2023 - 2029 - Castledermot) The objective
M2 Town Centre (Kildare County Development Plan 2023 - 2029 (Variation 3) - Castledermot) The objective

Townland

Skenagun

Planning applications on this parcel

No planning application touches this parcel in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 44 recorded monuments.

• KD038-045001 Religious house - Fratres Cruciferi
  Description

  National Monument No. 503. The Priory and Hospital of St John the Baptist. The only visible remains consist of a square tower (dims 4.5m x 4.5m) on a narrow plinth. The structure is of roughly coursed mixed stone, chiefly granite, with smaller limestone and sandstone pinnings, and with granite quoins and jambs. There are three floors with a barrel vault over the first floor. It is entered through the N wall, through a segmented doorway with a pointed rear arch, and with dressed voussoirs. Access to the first floor is via ladder, and access to the second floor is from the exterior through a narrow rounded arched doorway. The function of the tower is unknown. Comerford records the discovery of an underground vaulted chamber 'some few perches' to the NW of the tower in the late nineteenth century, possibly a souterrain (1891-5, 372). Bones have been found recently to the S of the tower. There is a small limestone grave slab in a nearby garden. The origins of the priory origins are obscure, but the earliest reference to it is in 1284 (Sweetman 1875-86, ii, no. 2340). It was described in the Dissolution documents as roofless and ruined (White 1943, 168), and was described in 1539 as consisting of a church, belfrey, dormitory, tower, two halls, three chambers, land and a water mill (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 211). (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 125-7) Date of upload: 15 September 2016 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 183/1948).

• KD038-045003 Graveslab
  Description

  Limestone fragment (dims. L 0.25m; Wth 0.15m; T 0.05m) with traces of a design in low relief and an incised line, perhaps a letter. Found in Mrs. Daltons garden (the owner of the lands on which the priory and tower (KD038-045001-) lie. (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 115) Date of upload: 15 September 2016

• KD040-002 Historic town
  Description

  The church was founded here in 812 AD (US 1986, 85), and was attached to Bangor. It was plundered in 842, 867, 1040 and 1106; this last recording burning was probably of a wooden structure. The earliest remains of this foundation consist of the round tower and a doorway of twelfth century date. The town was granted to Walter de Riddlesford c. 1181, when he may have built a castle here, although it was probably built at Kilkea (see below) (Orpen 1892, 11), and founded the Fratres Cruciferi priory between 1199 and 1216. The borough was established at this time. The murage grant in 1295 may indicate a walled town. The castle referred to in the town name was built by Gearoid More by 1507, although no castle survives in the town. The Irish name Diseart Diarmada means Dermot's HeRmitage, probably a reference to the Early Christian church site. Castledermot (Castledermot Town) OS 38:13:6 (229,003) 'Town Wall (Site of), Town Wall (in Ruins)' OD 200-300 27821,18940 OS 40:1:3 (219,576) 'Town Wall (Site of), Town Wall (in Ruins)' OD 200-300 27811,18499 Town defences The visible remains consist of two short portions of roughly coursed limestone. One of the surviving sections lies in the convent grounds, near the friary (see below) (L 13.5m; H 2.5m); the other section is just to the N (L 11m; H 3m) where it runs into the Carlow gate, at which point there is a wide basal batter and two bar holes. The walls were pierced by three gates; the Dublin (at the N), Friary (at the S) and Carlow (at the W) Gates, none of which survive. The walls originally enclosed a pear-shaped area, (dims c. 550m x 375m) and had an overall length of c. 1460m. The course of the eastern wall is not clear, but it was probably bounded by the River Lerr. 38:45(02)/40:2(01)* Date of upload: 8 September 2016

• KD040-002001 Town defences
  Description

  Town defences: The visible remains consist of two short portions of roughly coursed limestone. One of the surviving sections lies in the convent grounds, near the friary (see below) (L 13.5m; H 2.5m); the other section is just to the N (L 11m; H 3m) where it runs into the Carlow gate, at which point there is a wide basal batter and two bar holes. The walls were pierced by three gates; the Dublin (at the N), Friary (at the S) and Carlow (at the W) Gates, none of which survive. The walls originally enclosed a pear-shaped area, (dims c. 550m x 375m) and had an overall length of c. 1460m. The course of the eastern wall is not clear, but it was probably bounded by the River Lerr. An archaeological evaluation was carried out at a site at Athy Road, Castledermot, Co. Kildare, from 28 October to 2 November 1998, in response to a request for further information by the planning authority regarding an application to construct a housing development. The proposed development site is roughly triangular in outline, occupying most of the area of land between Athy Road on the west, Barrack Road on the east and Carlow Gate Street on the south. The south-west corner of the site abuts the site of Carlow Gate, while the intersection of Carlow Gate Street and Barrack Road, beyond the eastern corner of the development site, is the site of a castle. The known line of the town wall runs through the development site from Carlow Gate north-eastwards to Barrack Road, and the line of this wall can still be made out in part of the site. Seven test-trenches were inserted, based along five trench lines, distributed approximately evenly over the entire site. Two of the trenches were designed to transect the line of the town wall and to permit the comparison of the stratigraphy on the external and internal sides of this feature. The test-trenches were generally dug to a depth of 0.5-1m below the present ground surface. Several features of archaeological significance were identified, including the remains of the town wall, which was indicated by the linear concentrations of stone and rubble uncovered on both the eastern and western sides of the site. On the western side of the site a number of features were noted on the internal side of the town wall. These included a number of small linear cut features as well as at least two possible ditch features, which ran roughly parallel with the line of the town wall. A number of sherds of medieval pottery were found within the fills of these features. On this side of the site the remains of the town wall appeared to be indicated by a band of uncut stone of various sizes, mixed with mortar, which occurred precisely on the line of the town wall as indicated by the Urban Archaeological Survey. This band of stone was 5.2m wide and appeared to run in a north-east to south-west direction. It occurred at a depth of 0.5m beneath the ground surface. Nothing was noted on the external side of the town wall on this side of the site. On the eastern side of the site three distinct bands of stony material, which ran parallel to the line of the town wall, were noted in the known vicinity of this structure. They measured, respectively from south to north, 3.8m, 1.8m and 3m wide and, combined, covered an extent of almost 13m. They occurred between 0.2m and 0.4m beneath the ground surface. These features may indicate a complex structure to the town wall in this area. No features were observed north of the line of the town wall on this part of the site. Other features noted on the internal side of the town wall in this area included a number of possible medieval drains, which may emerge from a habitation area in the vicinity of the street front and run northwards towards the town wall. One of these features produced a medieval iron arrowhead. The area of the site outside the known line of the town wall was largely free of archaeological remains. However, a number of non-specific features also occur in this area. A layer of brown, sandy silt was noted immediately outside the line of the town wall in the central area of the site. This layer produced a single sherd of medieval pottery and a medieval bronze ring-brooch. The occurrence of two medieval finds within this layer, together with the absence of modern inclusions, strongly suggests that this represents a medieval soil horizon. One feature of particular interest occurred in the north-western area of the site. It consisted of a curving band of red and black material. This continued for a distance of at least 1.5m. The material inside this curving band contained fragments of a white material that appeared to represent burnt stone. This may represent a phase of activity pre-dating the medieval occupation of the area. A number of modern stone water conduits and other drains were found in the north-western part of the site (wwww.excavations.ie) Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 8 September 2016

• KD040-002002 Round tower
  Description

  National Monument No. 471. The lower portion of the round tower survives (H. c. 20m). It is of granite with limestone pinnings (int diam. 2.5m; wall Th 2.37m). There are five floors with medieval crenellations above two string courses, but the modern floors do not correspond to the original levels. The entrance is at ground level through a flat lintelled battered doorway. There is an arched window on the first floor, and a flat headed windows between the second and third floors. The windows at the top, and the crenelations are of sixteenth century date. It is joined to the church by a vaulted corridor with wicker centring, of fifteenth century type. (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 97-8) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 5 November 2015

• KD040-002003 Church
  Description

  St. James' parish church lies on what was probably the site of a pre-Norman monastery. It includes Romanesque, thirteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth century elements. The only surviving element of the Romanesque church is a portion of the W gable with a round arched doorway of two orders of triangular voussoirs with a triple row of mouldings giving the impression of chevron ornament. The door jambs have low, rounded mouldings, and are probably of twelfth century date. During the thirteenth century the church was expanded towards the E when a new nave with an aisle at the S was constructed. Of this, the plastered arcade of three pointed arches survives, forming the S wall of the present nave. A splayed window (possibly originally round) at the E has been altered and may be entirely modern. The church was rebuilt in the seventeenth century when the nave arcade was blocked and the N wall was constructed. The round headed windows with internal splays and possibly the chancel arch date from this time. The present chancel and the W wall of nave date to the nineteenth century. The nave was in ruins in 1630 although the chancel was still in repair. The nave may date to 1650-83. (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 96-9)   The Romanesque archway, only remain of the original twelfth-century church, is a national monument in state care, no. 471, though the rest of the current church is not. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 5 November 2015   Date of revision: 13 October 2025

• KD040-002004 Cross - High cross
  Description

  National Monument No. 471. North Cross: A tenth century granite ringed cross with a damaged two-stepped pyramidal base. The wheel has running scroll and key decoration. There are figured and ornamental panels (base dims. H. 0.83m; 0.78m x 0.70m; shaft dims. H. 2.17m; 0.42m x 0.28m). The following crosses and cross slab are also situated in the graveyard, as are a large number of tenth to seventeenth century cross slabs and grave stones, and two holed stones (Bradley 1986, 99-106). Harbison 1992, 37-39: Figs. 101-4. See attached screenshots of 3D model of High Cross created by Digital Heritage Age. 3D model can be accessed on the Sketchfab website at: https://skfb.ly/6sQsF Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 8 September 2016

• KD040-002005 Religious house - Franciscan friars
  Description

  National Monument No. 200. A Franciscan Friary probably built by Walter de Riddlesford before 1247. Only the church survives from the monastic complex; it consists of a thirteenth century undifferentiated nave and chancel church (overall dims c. 43m x 10m) with a fourteenth century aisle (original dims c. 4m x 14m) and a transept (dims c. 14m x 10m) with three side chapels to the N. The cloister was located to the S. The church is built of roughly coursed granite rubble with granite quions, and has several lancet windows, including several with switchline tracery in the transept and chancel. A three storey residential tower was added to the S side of the chancel in the fifteenth century (dims c. 9m x 5m). It has a loft and a wicker-centered barrel vault, and anumber of flat-arch and ogee-headed windows. St James's holy well (KD040-002006-) lies to the rere of the ruins. The friary was first mentioned in 1247, was burnt by Edward Bruce in 1316, and then apparently largely rebuilt (Gilbert 1884, 299-300). In 1540 it consisted of a church, cloister, dormitory, tower, two halls, a kitchen, garden, orchard, dormitory and a curtillage walled with stone within the precinct, with a water mill nearby (White 1943, 170). Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 5 November 2015

• KD040-002006 Ritual site - holy well
  Description

  St. James's Well is situated in the grounds of the Franciscan friary church (KD040-002005-) in Castledermot town. It is neglected and no longer visited. Jackson states that there are no traditions associated with the well (JKAS 1979-80, 150). Date of upload: 8 September 2016

• KD040-002007 Font
  Description

  'Font/piscina. Granite. Badly damaged. (diams. 0.70m x 0.74m; diam. of basin 0.35m; D of basin 0.2m). Set on pier base of friary church transept (KD040-002005-). Comerford (1891-5) states that it came from St James' church (KD040-002003-) (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 111) Date of upload: 8 September 2016

And 34 more.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Ground and risks

Radon

At the centre of this parcel, about 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as low.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_2607 (ZIP).

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Download this parcel as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program. GeoJSON, in WGS 84, suits a map, and KML opens in Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.