What is recorded here

Redmond Magrath may have owned a little castle in Gaile before it decayed into oblivion, but the house standing there now dates from 1820 and holds no castle bones. The place exists only as a ghost in a survey, a name without a wall, waiting for someone to dig or imagine its shape.

Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as a 'little castle out of repair' and Redmond Magrath is listed as proprietor in 1640 (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 247). The location for this castle has been assigned initially to Gaile House. Following an inspection in 2016 no trace of an earlier castle could be identified in the house which dates from c. 1820 and which has a number of subsequent additions. The castle listed in the Civil Survey is unlocated within Gaile townland. (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage reference: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=TS&regno=22205301) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 13 July 2016

Redmond Magrath held Castle Gaile in 1640, and it was noted as a dilapidated 'little castle' in the 1654–5 Civil Survey. Its mention in early modern land records highlights its role in local landownership and settlement patterns in the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.