Heathstown Castle

On a slight rise of ground, this castle appears to be the remains of a small rectangular tower house (ext. dims. 10.7m NE-SW; 8m NW-SE; wall T 1.2m) surviving two storeys high with stone vaulted ground floor. Only the NW and SW walls of this tower house survive upstanding with partial remains of NE and SE walls visible. The walls are built of random limestone rubble standing with no dressed stone visible. The SW wall (ext. L 8m; H c. 5m) survives two storeys high and has a gap possibly a broken out window ope in the ground floor located off centre to the W close to the W angle. Directly above this at first floor level there is a possible broken out window ope. Blocked up window ope visible in W corner of first floor. Collapsed rubble from the castle walls can been inside the castle and a mound to the E of the castle appears to be the grass-covered remains of a pile of rubble from the castle. The springing line of a stone vaulted roof over the ground floor can be seen in the inner face of the NW wall. The remains of an earthen bank (L 38m) can be seen running N from the W angle of the castle which then turns E forming an L-shaped earthwork. There are the slightest suggestions of earthworks in the field beyond this L-shaped earthwork. These banks may represent some form of destroyed hall that was built onto the N face of the castle. Alternatively the L-shape earthen bank may be the remains of an enclosing bawn. The 1654-7 Down Survey map of Farbill barony depicts Heathstown Castle standing beside a medieval road annotated as the ‘High way from Dublin to Athlone’ (NLI MS 723-4). In 1640 the lands of Heathstown Castle belonged to the Earl of Clanricard (ibid). The terrier of the 1654 map states that the ‘Castle of Heathstowne’ was one of 10 castles that ‘were very small ones formerly & now quite Demolished’ (ibid.). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 14 August 2013

Heathstown Castle is a medieval tower house, likely built in the 15th or 16th century, reflecting the defensive architecture of the period. Its survival as a stone-vaulted structure makes it an important local example of early Irish castle design.