Portlaoise town's Tudor castle 'buried beneath' Main Street businesses

Remains of a Tudor castle built in Portlaoise still lie under the basements of three Main Street buildings, with a plan now drawn up that suggests creating an entrance through one building and doing archeological digs to uncover its history.

The castle was built in the mid 1500s as part of a huge British military fort called the Fort Protector, the first of its kind in Ireland outside of The Pale around Dublin, designed to crush any Laois resistance to foreign occupation.

A new conservation plan launched recently is suggesting that one of the three buildings covering up the ruins, could eventually be bought and converted into a main entrance into the Fort Protector for heritage visitors.

The Conservation Plan for Fort Protector, Portlaoise was drawn up for Laois Heritage Society, with the aim to protect and enhance the huge stone fort, much of which still miraculously survives in the centre of Portlaoise town, some 500 years after it was built.

The three buildings on top of the corner where a towering castle stood, are the Virgo clothing shop, currently shut down (Plot 13), Bergin's Jewellers (Plot 14), and the Town Hotel (Plot 15).

 A chance visit by archeologist Eoin Sullivan during works at Plot 13 found a void 1.5 metres deep under the floorboards, which are built on a stone wall some 1.5 metres thick, suspected to be the wall of the original castle (below).

"The site of the Castle of Maryborough holds the greatest secrets regarding the form of the Tudor fortification but these lie buried beneath functioning businesses, and within historic buildings at the commercial heart of the town. These properties will remain in private ownership for the foreseeable future. 

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"With the cooperation of the owners and occupiers, a deeper understanding might be achieved. Non-destructive investigations such as measured surveys, lifting of floorboards or scanning of open yards using ground-penetrating radar, can help.

"The castle survived in ruins after its destruction by Cromwell's forces in 1650, until it was eventually cleared away in 1835. Below-ground remains are likely to survive within the narrow plots of 13 and 14. If uncovered and exposed they would enrich the experience of the Fort and its history, as it was in this castle that many of the historic events recorded in historic sources took place.

"Site 13 is fronted by a modest two-storey building of good historic character. In the longer term, this historic building could form a direct entry point to the Fort site from the Main Street. This would reinforce the idea of the 'Old Fort Quarter' pioneered by the association of traders. It would highlight the historic position of the castle within the town and would enrich the appreciation of this key location opposite Lyster Lane, telling the story of how the Fort became enveloped in the Georgian fabric of the town which grew up around it," suggests the report, led by Laois man and Lotts conservation architect Richard McLaughlin. 

The plan is available to purchase for €10 from Laois Heritage Society and free to view in the Portlaoise Library.

Below: A plan with areas marked in yellow that could eventually become publicly accessible as a visitor attraction.