What is recorded here

Castle is a lost tower in County Louth, marked only by memory and a 1594 drawing. It may have stood among the small defensive remains that Lord Limerick helped remove around 1747. What is left is a ghost shape in Townparks, perhaps no taller than a room, yet stubborn enough to keep appearing in maps long after stone disappeared.

Approximate location of what is referred to as 'Howth's Castle'. It is shown on the perspective map of Dundalk Town by Henry Duke, June 1594. It may have been one of the '18 or 20 ruinous remains of small castles or defensive towers' said to have been removed at Lord Limerick's insistence c. 1747. (O'Sullivan 1963, 288; Gosling 1982, 177, No. 217; 1991, fig. 20, No. 8) The above description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 July 2007

Built or held by the Howth family, likely in the late 16th century, Castle, tower house in Townparks is remembered as one of the smaller defensive structures in the Dundalk area during the Tudor period, reflecting the fragmented nature of local power and ongoing military activity in the region.

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