Rossmore Castle Walls Uncovered for First Time Since the 1970s in Test Trenching
Test trenches at Rossmore Castle near Monaghan Town have uncovered some of the castle's wall structures for the first time since the 1970s, Heritage Officer Kara Ward says. A larger community excavation is planned for summer 2027.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Castle Lake, Rossmore Forest Park, 1990. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. D Gore · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Test trenches at Rossmore Castle, about 3km south-west of Monaghan Town, have uncovered some of the castle's walls for the first time since the 1970s, Monaghan County Council Heritage Officer Kara Ward has said. The trenching will help pick the sites for community digs ahead of a larger excavation planned for summer 2027.
"Community excavation is really valuable for giving people hands on experience with their history," Ms Ward told Northern Sound.
About the project
It is the county's first community archaeology project and the first excavation at Rossmore Castle, Northern Sound reported when it launched earlier this month. Monaghan County Museum curator Liam Bradley was also quoted at the launch. We covered the launch here.
The castle's story
Rossmore was home to the Westenra family, the Barons Rossmore. A fortified house in the Cortolvin Hills was turned into a Tudor-Gothic castle in the 19th century. It was abandoned in the 1940s and demolished by the State around 1974. Today Rossmore Forest Park surrounds the site, and it has the tallest tree in the county, a redwood.
What happens next
The findings from the test trenches will decide where volunteers dig. The larger excavation is planned for summer 2027.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
Test trenches are being opened at the site of the demolished Tudor-Gothic castle in Rossmore Park, 3km from Monaghan Town, ahead of a larger community excavation planned for summer 2027.
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