What is recorded here

Indicated, Castletown (ballybrit By.) is a square bawn in County Offaly where an O'Carroll castle once stood before being levelled. The surviving south and east walls still mark the edge of that lost room, while their robbed bases expose the earthen bank that gave the stone its strength. Mulrony McTeig O'Carroll was recorded there in 1605, long after the building disappeared but before the name faded from local memory.

May have been an O'Carroll castle that is described in the 1605 Inquisition post mortem of Mulrony McTeig O'Carroll as 'de Castr' Vill' et Campis de Castleton Keneleage [Castletown]' (Loeber 1998, 312). Only the bawn survives of what appears to be an early medieval castle (OF038-045001-) of possible thirteenth century date. The bawn wall encloses a square-shaped area that once provided protection for a castle building now levelled. Only the south and east walls of the bawn are still upstanding. The base batter of the bawn wall has been robbed out to show that the walls were built on top of a mud or earthen bank that formed the inner core of the base batter. The wall was then built on top of and encapsulated the earthen bank in a manner similar to Ballykilmurry castle. This construction feature has been noted at other thirteenth century castles such as at Shrule castle, Co. Mayo and at Ballylusky, Co. Tipperary. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

Castletown was likely held by the O'Carroll family in the early 17th century, as indicated by the 1605 Inquisition post mortem of Mulrony McTeig O'Carroll. It is remembered as part of the historical estate associated with this prominent Gaelic family in the region.

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