What is recorded here

Castlecomer farmed sheep, not memories, so the castle disappeared from local thought. Carrigan recovered it in 1905: a strong house east of the Castlecomer-Ballyragget road, possibly founded by Mairgréad Ni Gheróid, with walls standing until 1824 and cellars still hidden beneath the ground. The square rampart and deep fosse may still mark the place, waiting for someone to stop past it without seeing.

According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 161), ‘There was a strong castle here, about 200 yards east of the new road from Castlecomer to Ballyragget. If tradition be reliable it was founded by Mairgréad Ni Gheróid, the famous Countess of Ormond. Portion of the walls stood till 1824. The cellars still remain beneath the surface. The site is enclosed by a square rampart defended by a deep fosse [KK005-050002-]’. The precise location of the castle and bawn within Glenmagoo or Firoda Lower are unknown, however, it is likely that a moated site (KK005-069----), identified in 1987 within the townland, is the castle and bawn described by Carrigan. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 17 May 2017

Mairgréad Ni Gheróid, a notable Irish noblewoman of the 13th century, is traditionally credited with founding the castle at Glenmagoo or Firoda Lower. The site is remembered for its historical association with prominent Gaelic families and as an example of medieval Irish defensive architecture in the region.

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