Site of Ardnagragh Castle, Ardnagragh, Co. Westmeath

Co. Westmeath |

Tower Houses

Site of Ardnagragh Castle, Ardnagragh, Co. Westmeath

Situated on a broad hill in Co. Westmeath, the ruins of Ardnagragh Castle offer commanding views across the surrounding pasture lands.

What remains today are fragments of a once substantial structure: the eastern wall stretches approximately 20 metres north to south, with a short section of the southern wall still standing at heights of two to three metres. The rest of the building has collapsed into irregular mounds of rubble stone, particularly evident along the southern edge where the wall once stood. The crude construction, built from rough stone without any surviving architectural features, suggests this was a functional rather than ornamental building.

Historical records reveal the castle's significance in the early 17th century when it formed part of Robert Dillon of Cannorstown Castle's estate, as documented in a 1611 inquisition. The Down Survey parish map from the 1650s depicts it as a tower house with a later two-storey addition built onto one side, indicating the structure evolved over time. By 1837, Ordnance Survey maps show it as a U-shaped building measuring roughly 12 metres by 6 metres, though field notes from the same period already describe it as being in ruins.

The site has undergone considerable change since its heyday. Modern field fences now traverse the castle grounds, and a curious L-shaped trench, possibly of recent origin, sits west of the standing masonry. Despite its ruinous state, the location still commands the hilltop position that once made it strategically valuable, offering visitors a glimpse into the network of fortified houses that once dotted the Westmeath landscape during the plantation era.

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Pete F
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