This is as clase as I could find to LEAP. CASTLES OF LEINSTER: Lea Castle, Laois Ordance Survey map gridN5712 William Marshall had a motte and bailey castle here in 1203. A window with two trefoiled headed lights dates the lofty but very ruined keep to c 1250-80, the time of Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baron Offaly. The castle was burnt by the O'Connors in 1285 and the gatehouse added by Edward I in the 1290s failed to save it from being wrecked by the O'Mores in 1307 and 1348, and by Edward Bruce in 1315. An adjacent town never recovered from these incursions. In 1422 O'Dempsey captured Lea from the Earl of Kildare only to lose it to the Earl of Ormond in 1452. Silken Thomas retreated to the castle during his rebellion of 1 535. The O'Dempseys seized Lea for the Confederate Catholics in 1841 and it was blown up by the Cromwellians in 1850. Only one of the 8.8m diameter corner towers of the four storey keep 21m long by 15m wide over 3m thick walls now survives. From it leads a straight stair in the north wall, and the entrance at second storey level adjoins on the east. The basement vaults and crosswall are 1 5th or 18th century. Around the keep was an oval court about 55m long by 40m wide with D-shaped bastions. Two of these, on the south, and SE, survive, with adjoining walls and an eastward facing gateway beyond which the wall was arcaded to provide sufficient width for a wall-walk. Immediately beyond the SE bastion is the outer gateway with a passage 3m wide with two portcullis grooves flanked by elongated 8m wide round fronted towers. A latrine turret adjoins the east tower. The gateway was later blocked and the building used as an apartment block. The outer court measures about 80m across and extends towards the River Barrow which was probably used to fill the moats. Source: Salter, Mike, Castles and Stronghouses of Ireland