Site of Callow Castle, Dower, Co. Roscommon

This Mac Dermot stronghold, likely built in the late 14th century, met a fiery end in 1527 when it was burnt by O'Donnell forces. The site saw further violence in 1596 when Irish rebels torched the castle again during the tumultuous years of the Nine Years' War. By 1580, the property had passed to William Clifford, whose family held it until the 1650s before it eventually came into the possession of the French and King families.

Today, visitors to the site encounter a rectangular grass-covered area measuring 77 metres east to west and 60 metres north to south, defined by fragmentary walls and the remains of a tower at the southeast corner. The defensive fosse, or ditch, that once protected the castle can still be traced; it appears as a band of rushes on the eastern side and reaches depths of over a metre on the southern approach. A causeway crosses this ancient defensive feature on the south side, providing access to the interior where the foundations of at least two structures remain visible beneath the grass, including what appears to have been a house along the northern edge.

The castle has been known by various names throughout its history, including Caladh Lochae Deichet, Caislead an Chalaidh, and Carrickbeg. When the antiquarian John O'Donovan visited in the mid-19th century, locals called it 'Babhdhun a Chaluidh' and believed it had once belonged to someone named Drury. Though much reduced from its medieval glory, the site offers a tangible connection to centuries of Gaelic lordship and the violent transitions that marked the end of that era in Irish history.