What is recorded here

Mullingar still hides an old castle on the north side of Church Lane, though no exact gate or wall remains named. Richards drew it beside the medieval parish church in 1691, and Sir Henry Piers called such buildings fashionable castles in 1682. The vicarage may have risen on that forgotten site, turning a lost stronghold into an ordinary house.

Richards 1691 map of Mullingar depicts an 'Old Castle' on the N side of Church Lane to the NW of the medieval parish church (WM019-089016-). The precise location of this castle within the historic town of Mullingar (WM019-089----) has not been identified, although the vicarage may have been built on the site of the castle (Andrews and Davies 1992, 10). In 1682 Sir Henry Piers recorded that in the town of Mullingar (WM019-089----) there were, ‘ancient buildings here [that] were old fashionable castles (WM019-089001-; WM019-089008-; WM019-089010-; WM019-089029-; WM019-089030-; WM019-089032-), some of which remain yet, and some are demolished, and better or at least more commodious houses are built in their room’ (Vallancey 1786, 78). The castle appears to have been located on the N side of church lane as depicted on Richards map of 1691. See attached image showing castle annotated as Building D [Old Castles] located to the NW of All Saints' Parish Church [Building B] and inside the star-shaped fortification as shown on Richards Map of 1691 - taken from Irish Historic Towns Atlas of Mullingar (Andrews and Davies 1992, Map 4). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 July 2014

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