Mountgarret (or Mountgarrett, Mount Garrett; ga, Mota-Gairead) is a townland in

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it the ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Ireland. It is known for the ruins of a medieval tower house that was built by the Bishop of Ferns in 1408.

Location

Mountgarrett is in the Electoral Division of New Ross Rural. It is in Saint Marys civil parish, Barony of Bantry in County Wexford. It has an area of . It lies along the

River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...

to the west, which forms the boundary between Count Wexford and

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

. Bordering townlands are Ardross, Barrettspark, Castlemoyle and Craywell to the south: Knockavilla and

MacMurrough MacMurrough is a townland in the parish of New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. According to local tradition, it is called after a 12th-century king of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough Diarmait Mac Murchada ( Modern Irish: Diarmaid Mac Murchadha) ...

to the east; and Mountelliott to the north. Hamilton (1835) says, "''Mountgarrett'', a lofty hill overlooking New Ross, is surmounted by the ruins of a castle, from which there is a fine view." In 1841 the population was 71 and the Poor Law valuation was £91 16s. 0d.

Early monastery

Saint Nissen Saint Nissen was an early Christian convert who was abbot of a monastery in County Wexford, Ireland. Life Saint Nissen was converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick. He became abbot of Montgarth ( Mountgarret) Abbey in Wexford, Ireland. His fe ...

was converted to Christianity by

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

in the 5th century. He became abbot of Montgarth (Mountgarret) Abbey in Wexford, on the borders of Kilkenny, of which place he is titular saint.

Medieval tower house

Patrick Barrett Patrick Barrett (died 10 November 1415) was an Irishman who held religious and secular high offices in Ireland. Biography Patrick Barrett was an Augustinian Canon at Kells Priory in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory, County Kilkenny. He succ ...

, Bishop of Ferns, built a tower house at Mountgarret in 1408. On 26 May 1403 King

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

had given Barrett authority "to treat with Irish and English enemies in the counties of Wexford, Kilkenny and Carlow for the purpose of reforming them to peace." In the mid-16th century Sir Richard Butler rebuilt the castle. He was the son of

Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Ossory (1539) also known as Red Piers (Irish ''Piers Ruadh''), was from the Polestown–– branch of the Butler family of Ireland. In the succession crisis at the death of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl ...

, and in 1550 became the first Lord of Mountgarrett. The castle is the largest Norman tower house in Wexford. An 1836 illustration in the ''

Dublin Penny Journal The ''Dublin Penny Journal'' was a weekly newspaper, and later series of published volumes, originating from Dublin, Ireland, between 1832 and 1836. Published each Saturday, by J. S. Folds, George Petrie (artist), George Petrie, and Caesar Otway, ...

'' shows the castle partially ruined. An 1878 account said the keep of Mountgarrett's castle was still in a tolerable state of preservation. However, the five-storey building was not well-maintained and the south wall and part of the west wall collapsed during the winter of 2009–10. There were other collapses after this. In September 2021 it was reported that a Community Monuments Fund grant of €70,000 had been obtained for stabilizing and preserving the castle. The municipality of New Ross planned to make the castle accessible to tourists. The castle is located at on the ring road near the greenway.

Notes

Sources

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