11 Kilmonaghan Road Goragh Newry Co.Down BT35 6QF

Two-storey farmhouse set back from the east side of Kilmonaghan Road, just over one mile north-east of Mullaghglass, County Armagh, accessed via a short laneway. The original single-storey dwelling was built before 1835, and the building was subsequently raised to two storeys most likely in the second decade of the 20th century. It is not listed, as it does not survive in its original form.

The laneway approach is notable for incorporating a bridge over the former Great Northern Railway branch line between Goraghwood and Warrenpoint on the Newry and Armagh Railway, now largely obscured beneath a thick band of mature trees. The bridge parapets to either side of the laneway are of coursed stone beneath coping stones of large, regular, rectangular cut stone. To the east end of the southern parapet there is a tall, curved stone wall with coping stones laid on edge forming castellations.

The farmhouse is a two-storey, three-bay structure facing approximately north-west. The roof is pitched natural slate with red clay ridge tiles, and there are three red brick chimneys — one at each gable end and one approximately to the centre. The external walls are finished in ruled and lined painted sand-cement render. A flat-roofed porch projects to the front, a single-storey outbuilding is attached to the north-east side, and there is a single-storey extension to the south-east rear along with a small concrete-block addition at the rear south-east corner. A detached single-storey outbuilding stands to the east of the dwelling.

The front (north-west) elevation is an asymmetric three-bay façade. The flat-roofed side-entry porch is positioned to the right of centre, with a door opening in its south-west side fitted with a replacement 20th-century timber door and a window opening in its north-east side. On the ground floor, the window to the left of the porch has a replacement top-hung metal window frame with panes boarded up with plywood; the window to the right retains remnants of a painted timber sliding sash window. On the first floor, from left to right, the windows are: remnants of a 2-over-2 painted timber sliding sash window, a 1-over-1 painted timber sliding sash window, and a 2-over-2 painted timber sliding sash window. Any remaining glass is single-glazed. All window openings have painted stone cills. Ground level falls away towards the south-west. A partial painted metal gutter and downpipe are present to the right side of the façade.

The attached outbuilding abutting the north-east gable has random rubblestone walls visible beneath patches of painted lime render. Its partial natural slate roof with red clay ridge tiles has collapsed over a large section. There is a door opening approximately to the centre fitted with a timber-sheeted door, and a small opening to the left side. The left corner of the walling has collapsed.

The south-west gable is a blind elevation finished in sand-cement render. The lower section is rough-textured with a large bulge in the wall and a crack running from top to bottom. A shadow of a former single-storey pitched roof return or extension is visible. The upper section has ruled and lined render, and there is a red brick chimney at the apex.

The rear (south-east) elevation is a three-bay façade with a single-storey extension with a pitched roof approximately to the centre. The finish is rough render with small areas of red brick exposed around the window openings. On the ground floor there is a window opening to either side of the extension: the left retains remnants of a timber sliding sash window, and the right has a top-hung metal-framed window. On the first floor there are three window openings, all retaining remnants of timber sliding sash windows. All window openings have stone cills. The extension has a shallow pitched roof with asbestos sheet covering, which has collapsed on the south-west side. There are window openings on both the south-west and south-east sides with metal window frames and no glazing remaining, and a door opening on the north-east side with a 20th-century timber door. To the right of the extension is the attached single-storey outbuilding, with random rubblestone visible beneath patches of painted lime render and a natural slate roof with red clay ridge tiles; its door opening has a timber lintel. To the far right is the small concrete-block addition with a corrugated iron monopitch roof.

The north-east gable is blind, with exposed random rubblestone to each corner and walling largely collapsed to the right side. Painted lime render survives on the upper section, with the shadow of a former pitched roof section visible.

A small detached single-storey outbuilding of random rubblestone construction stands on the east side of the site, with a door opening in its north-west side and a natural slate roof. A tall random rubblestone wall runs along the north-east side of the site. The dwelling is surrounded by agricultural land on all sides, with 20th-century detached dwellings to the north-west and west.

The history of the site is well documented. The original dwelling pre-dates the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1835 and was of vernacular proportions, likely comprising the house with aligned attached outbuildings extending to east and west. By 1836, the Townland Valuation records the house as the residence of Pollock Short, valued at £2 14s — below the £3 threshold for inclusion in the final valuation lists. It was a single-storey thatched dwelling measuring 54.6 by 19.6 feet, which approximately corresponds to the combined present-day dimensions of the house and its attached outbuilding, suggesting the outbuilding may once have formed part of the house. The barn, potato house and byre were also thatched; a small car house and stable were slated. The valuation notes that the dwelling was not new at this date and had deteriorated with age. Despite his modest house, Pollock Short was among the highest cess payers in the Lower Orier barony in the 1830s and served with magistrates at special sessions. He died at the property in 1839 aged 79.

By Griffith's Valuation of 1862, the dwelling was occupied by Joseph Short and leased from Roger Hall of Narrow Water, former High Sheriff of County Armagh. The dwelling and outbuildings were valued at £2 15s. The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1861 shows a slight decrease in the length of the structure of approximately six feet and a slight increase in width, which may reflect either mapping inaccuracies or some remodelling between editions. By 1874 the valuation had risen from £2 15s to £3 10s, indicating further improvement to the buildings. The third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1906 shows an additional attached outbuilding, now gone, extending from the east elevation and projecting to the rear.

Joseph Short is recorded in the 1901 census as an elderly farmer of 71 living with his young wife Mary, a nephew, and a male farm servant. The 1901 census records the dwelling as having three windows to the front and four rooms; the 1911 census records two windows and three rooms. Both censuses record the house as thatched, and the 1911 census describes the walls as being of perishable materials, which is inconsistent with the rubblestone construction visible on site today and may indicate an inaccuracy in the census return. Joseph Short died in 1906, and the farm passed to his wife Mary, who was resident at the time of the 1911 census. The census building returns together suggest that in the early years of the 20th century the building was still single storey. Outbuildings recorded in 1911 included a cow house, piggery and fowl house.

Mary continued to run the dairy farm at least until 1925; newspaper records show she was occasionally fined for allowing dairy cattle to stray onto the public road. She became the outright owner of the farm under the Land Acts in 1914, and it appears likely that the dwelling was raised to its present two-storey height around that time. The rear extension was added between 1906 and 1955, possibly at the same time as the building was raised. The prominent front porch was added between 1955 and 1975. The property passed to the McDonald family in 1938.