NIR_Castles.html

LOCATION:	NAME:	Orig. OWNER/YEAR	REMARKS	NOTES:
==============	===========	=============	====================================	=============================
BANAGHER	Cloghan Castle
BIRR	Redwood Castle	the Normans (1210)	MacEgan (1350)
BIRR	Syngefield	Synge 1750+		Notes: (1)
BROSNA	Gloster	Lloyd 1710+	Remodelled from a 17 cent. house by Trevor Lloyd. Now a convent.	Notes: (1)
?	Cloncourse Castle	O'Duigen (Deegan) (c1636)	(castellated manor)
?	Clonmacnoise	(6th century)	Monastic site (St. Ciaran)
DUNKERRIN	Ffranckfort Castle	Ffranck - Rolleston 1700+	Passed from the Ffranck family to Francis Rolleston by marriage. Demolished.	Notes: (1)
DURROW	Castle Durrow	Flower 1716+	Built by Col William Flower, M.P. Now a school.	Notes: (1)
EDENDERRY	Ballyburly	Wakely 1690+	Built by John Wakely M.P. for Kilbeggan (d. 1713). Burned 1888.	Notes: (1)
FERBANE	Moyclare	Lawder 1760+		Notes: (1)
?	Garry Castle		(16th century)
GEASHILL	Geashill	Fitzgerald - Digby 1750+	Burned 1922.	Notes: (1)
KINNITTY	Castle Bernard	O'Carroll (c1209)	Earlier known as Kinnitty Castle. Bernard (1833)	Notes: (1)
MONEYGALL	Busherstown	Minchin 1720+	Built by Humphrey Minchin M.P. on old site of Bouchardstown Castle. Partly burned 1764; rebuilt.	Notes: (1)
MONEYGALL	Emell Castle	O'Carroll - Johnstone - Stoney 1790+	Bought by Capt Robert Johnstone who added 5 bays. Left to his nephew Thomas Stoney in 1803.	Notes: (1)
MOUNTHEATON	Mount Heaton	Heaton - Armstrong - Moore 1780+	Sold 1817 by W.H. Armstrong; bought by Count Arthur Moore of Mooresfort.	Notes: (1)
MOUNTRATH	Roundwood	Hamilton 1750+	Sold by the Hamilton 20 cent. Restored.	Notes: (1)
PARSONSTOWN	Birr Castle	Parsons 1620+	O'Carroll, Parsons, Rosse. Many times beseiged. Built 1620-27 by Sir Laurence Parsons. Owned by the Earl of Rosse, descended from the Parsons family. Fire 1832. Present owners: The Earl and Countess of Rosse.	Notes: (1) Notes: (2) F.O. Morris, Series of Picturesque Views, vol. III, 1866.
PHILIPSTOWN	Clonearl	Leicester - Magan 1720+	Sold by Sir John Leicester to Arthur Magan.	Notes: (1)
SHINRONE	Cangort Park	Atkinson - Trench 1665+	Home of the Atkinsons from 1600 to 1957. The castle was destroyed by Cromwell. They returned after 1660 and built a new house. Remodelled 1850.	Notes: (1)
?	Srah Castle	Briscoe (1588)	(Tower)
STRADBALLY	Stradbally Hall	Cosby 1699	Built by Lt Col Dudley Cosby.	Notes: (1)
TOGHER	The Doon	Enraght-Moony 1798	Built by R.J. Enraght-Moony incorporating an earlier house.	Notes: (1)
nr TULLAMORE	Ballycowen Castle		O'Melaghlin, Herbert (17th Century) strong-house
TULLAMORE	Charleville Forest	Bury 1810+	Built by Charles W. Bury, 1st Earl of Charleville. Library.	Notes: (1)
TULLAMORE	Mount Pleasant	O'Connor 1780+	Later known as Gortnamona. Built by M.N. O'Connor. Burned 1922.	Notes: (1)
TULLAMORE	Rathrobin	Biddulph 1694	Built by Nicholas Biddulph. Rebuilt 19 cent. Burned 1920.	Notes: (1)

Notes: (1) -- M. Bence-Jones, A Guide to Irish Country Houses, London, 1988.

Notes: (2) -- Birr Castle -- The Parsons family have lived here since 1620, when Sir Laurence Parsons was confirmed in the possession of 'The Castle, Fort and land of Birr' in letters patent issued by Adam Loftus, the Lord Chancellor. Sir Laurence at once set abt. enlarging the old 'Black Castle' of the O'Carrolls, whose family or clan had reigned over this territory for several hundred years. Birr Castle was attacked 3 times by the Confederate (Catholic) forces before it was finally captured by General Preston, commanding the Confed. army of Leinster, in 1643. Birr remained in their hands until it was retaken by Cromwell's General Ireton in 1650. The castle was besieged 2x in the Jacobite wars, first by one Col. Oxburgh (who had previously been the Parsons' agent) and secondly by Sarsfield. The masks of cannonading can be seen to this day on the east tower.The gatehouse has absorbed the flanking towers and been enlarged from time to time, until it has now taken the place of the original castle, which had stood a few yds tothe NW and was swept away in 1778. After the Act of Union was passed, Sir Laurence turned his back on the world and devoted his time to improving Birr. His architect was John Johnston. In 1832 there was a fire in the roof of the castle, and the opportunity was taken to raise the central block and battlements one storey. By now Sir Laurence Parsons, 5th Baronet, had become the 2nd Earl of Rosse, on the death of his uncle in Co. Longford without male heir, due to a special remainder. He died in 1841, aged 83. His son, Lord Oxmantown, succeeded as the 3rd Earl in 1841. He is remembered for the telescope he constructed (1842+) in the park at Birr. He sat as MP for King's County (Offaly) from 1823 to 1834 (when he resigned). In 1841, the year his father died, he built an even larger telescope. (One of his discoveries was the Nebulae in the sky). The 4th Earl, who succeeded in 1867, had improved the mechanical installation of the telescope. His younger brother Charles invented the steam turbine engine.... The present owners have done much to improve the gardens at Birr.