Cavetown & Moylurg

Yesterday I traversed the parish called Easter-Snow, and ascertained the sites of two castles of which the sappers have taken not notice.  There are (1) The Castle of Moylurg, and (2) the Castle of Baile-na-huamha, now called Cavetown, from a very remarkable cave near it. 

The Castle of Moylurg, of which the foundations only are now traceable, stood on a remarkable rock, which was anciently almost surrounded by water; it lies opposite the remarkable stone called Clogh-a-Stuakeen, and immediately to the right of the road as one goes from Boyle to the village of Croghan.  The people of that neighbourhood thought it was the celebrated “Castle of the Rock” but I have satisfied them that it could not be, as the Rock (or Carrig Mac Dermot), the very celebrated fortress of Moylurg, is always spoken of as a rocky celebrated fortress of Moylurg, is always spoken of as a  rocky island in Lough Key.  The situation of this on of this castle, on a rock nearly surrounded by water, has given rise to this mistake, and thought it is locally called the Castle of Moylurg, I fear it would be an error to call it Moylurg Castle on the Ordnance Map.

The Castle of Baile-na-huamha or town of the cave (so called from a remarkable cave, which goes, according to vulgar tradition, all the way to Kesh Corran) was situated between the Lakes of Clogher and Cavetown, and within about seven perches of The Fish House.  But very slight traces remain now.  The tradition in the country is proved by the testimony of the Annals that there was a castle at Baile-na-h-umhach (Na Humhaidh) which belonged to the branch of the McDermots, now vulgarly called the Bundoon family in consequence of their poverty and pride, and in contempt for their having lost the fertile plains of Moylurg.

John O’Donovan