Castle - tower house, Rathcline, Co. Longford

The O'Quinn family, who held the title 'Lords of Rathcline' during the early medieval period, are traditionally believed to have been the original residents. By the 16th century, ownership had passed to the O'Farrells, before Sir Thomas Dutton acquired the property through a 1627 grant and built a fortified house against the tower's north wall. Around 1667, Sir George Lane further modified the structure, incorporating the medieval tower house into his fortified residence, where it now forms part of the eastern bawn wall.

Today, only fragments of this once-imposing rectangular tower house remain; the east wall and a portion of the south wall still stand three storeys high, measuring approximately 13.7 metres north to south and 8.3 metres east to west. Built from random rubble limestone with carefully dressed quoin stones alternating between long and short pieces, the structure features a distinctive high base batter that projects 0.8 metres from the wall face and rises to about 3.2 metres. Though ivy obscures much of the eastern exterior, several architectural features remain visible, including a possible ground floor window, a first floor slit opening near the northeast corner, and an unusual double garderobe exit chute similar to one found at Castlereagh. The interior reveals evidence of wooden floors throughout, along with various blocked openings and recessed embrasures that likely once served as windows.

Dating this tower house presents challenges due to the limited surviving features, though architectural clues suggest it may date from the late 14th or early 15th century. The prominent base batter, rectangular floor plan, and the reuse of a capital decorated with dogtooth ornament in the western gatehouse all point to this period. The structure possibly represents a transitional style of castle, bridging the gap between earlier hall house castles and the later medieval tower houses that became widespread across Ireland. Historical records note that a memorial stone was once fixed in one of the interior walls, though this has since been lost to time.