First clues emerge from Rossmore Castle excavation

The first archaeological investigation ever undertaken at the site of Rossmore Castle has uncovered surviving structural remains that could help reveal the layout of one of Monaghan's most iconic lost buildings.

Test trenches were dug on Monday and Tuesday as part of the Rossmore Community Archaeology Project, a new initiative led by Monaghan County Heritage Office in partnership with Monaghan County Museum. The work is intended to identify the most promising areas for future excavation ahead of a larger community dig planned for summer 2027.

Speaking to The Anglo-Celt on site, archaeologist Franc Myles of Architecture and Built Heritage Ltd said the initial excavations had already produced results.

"We definitely have a wall," he said, pointing to stonework uncovered beneath layers of demolition rubble. While it has not yet been established whether the feature formed part of an internal or external wall, archaeologists are hopeful that further trenching will uncover additional sections of the castle's foundations and help confirm the building's footprint.

Mr Myles explained that historic maps provide a good indication of where the castle stood, but locating surviving building footprints on the ground is often more challenging.

"We know roughly within a couple of metres where the building was, but when you actually come and dig it, it's sometimes quite different," he said.

The team believes much of the material encountered so far consists of demolition debris left behind when the castle, which had stood empty since the 1940s, was demolished by the State around 1974.

"All of that rubble would have been demolition rubble from the house which was bulldozed down the slope," Mr Myles explained.

The Rossmore Community Archaeology Project is the first community archaeology initiative undertaken in County Monaghan. According to Monaghan County Heritage Officer Kara Ward, its aim is to encourage greater appreciation of local heritage by enabling communities to engage directly with monuments and historic landscapes through archaeology.

Monaghan County Museum curator Liam Bradley said the project will bring people together from Monaghan and across the border region to explore a shared past, while Monaghan County Council Chief Executive Robert Burns said excavation, exhibitions and public engagement events will help bring the stories of Rossmore and its former inhabitants back to life.

Rossmore Castle was once the seat of the Westenra family, Barons of Rossmore, and was regarded as one of Ireland's finest Tudor-Gothic country houses. Although the castle no longer survives, the wider Rossmore landscape retains deep archaeological importance, with evidence of human activity in the area stretching back thousands of years.

Findings from the current test trenching programme will now be assessed to help determine where community excavation works will take place when the next phase of the project begins in 2027.

For more on this story, check out next week’s print edition of The Anglo-Celt.