Castlelackan

Freestanding obelisk-topped folly, erected 1794, on a cruciform plan. Set on an elevated site.

An eye-catching folly illustrating the development of the pleasure grounds of the Castlelackan estate by Sir John Roger Palmer (d. 1819). NOTE: The folly, colloquially known as the "Lackan Gazebo", has traditionally been cited as the project of 'a Protestant landlord during the Famine Years [1845-9] to alleviate distress amongst the poor' but 'this claim is hardly convincing since the amount of labour required would not be sufficient to relieve more than a few and, besides, it was in existence in 1838…nine years before the Famine' (Irish Tourist Association Report 1943). The folly has drawn comparisons with the Richard Castle (d. 1751)-designed Conolly Folly (1740) in County Kildare and the later Knox-Gore Monument at Belleek Manor (see 31303019).