Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - unclassified
Sonna Demesne, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Sonna Demesne
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Sonna Ho.
- Latest-edition OS map
- Sonna House
- SMR number
- WM011-125----
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
The precise location of Sonnagh Castle belonging to Sir Oliver Tuite an 'Irish Papist' has not been identified. The medieval castle is depicted as a tower house type structure standing on top of a hillock N of a stream on the 1655-9 Down Survey map of Templeoran parish (NLI, MS 723-4). On this map the castle is located in the area that roughly corresponds with the location of Sonna House. The castle is not depicted on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps. The terrier of the Down Survey parish map recorded that the parish of Templeoran 'Hath two Castles much ruinated one at Sonnagh and the other at Parcelstowne'. There is no evidence to suggest that Sonna House was built on the site of the medieval castle. Sonna House was visited in 1983 and no visible remains of any features earlier than the 18th century were identified at this location.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 4 October 2016.
References
NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.