Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

In 1611 Captain Roger Atkinson was granted 'in Tullaghan otherwise Tullaghewine, 1 ruinous castle, certain messuages, and 1 carew' which was part of the 'estate of Levalian Nugent, attainted' (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 214). A castle is depicted standing in the townland of Tullaghan [Tolchan] on the 1654-56 Down Survey map of Mullingar parish (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of this parish map lists Andrew Nugent, an 'Irish Papist' as the owner of the lands of Tullaghan in 1641.
Tullaghan Castle belonging to the Nugent family situated in the grounds of Tullaghan House 360m S of the shoreline of Lough Owel. Culleenmore Castle (WM019-0089----) 1.5km to the E, Castlemitchel (WM019-034----) 1.5km to the SSE, and Walshestown Castle (WM018-155----) 2.3km to the SW. Tullaghan House is a late 18th century house with a datestone 1779 and the initials L. N. carved into the lintel over the doorway. To the NE of the house there are the remains of the castle consisting of the low wall footings of a wall (L 7.3m; H 1m) running NNW-SSE with a latter buttress built up against it and a fragment of the SSE corner (approx. H 3m) of the castle. No cut stone fragments or architectural features of medieval date were identified. House described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a 'Detached six-bay two-storey house, dated 1779. Possibly containing the fabric of an earlier structure. Pitched natural slate roof having two rubble stone chimneystacks with terracotta chimney pots over, one chimneystack to the east gable end and one close to the centre. The arrangement of outbuildings to the front of this house is an unusual feature, which together with the substantial chimneystack to the gable end and the unusually long (former) approach avenue to the southeast, hints that this structure may contain earlier fabric. Indeed, a 'castle' is recorded at Tullaghan in the Down Survey (1654-1656) and it is possible that this building may incorporate the fabric of this 'castle' or perhaps a later structure' (www.buildingsofireland.ie).

See attached pdf of site visit notes by J. F. Reynolds

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 15 November 2017

References

Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I - Irish patent rolls of James I: facsimile of the Irish record commissioners' calendar prepared prior to 1830, with foreword by M.C. Griffith (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1966)

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.