What is recorded here

Mountheaton Castle vanished beneath Mountheaton House, possibly giving up stone walls and foundations rather than disappearing without a trace. The house stands in County Offaly like a later skin stretched over an older skeleton, while Mount St Joseph keeps the quieter Cistercian memory beside it. What is missing is not nothing; it is buried, reused or forgotten, waiting for somebody to strike a jar, a bone or a row of bricks.

No surface trace visible of any castle in the area of the Cistercian monastery of Mount St Joseph. Mountheaton House was possibly built on top of the castle and may incorporate fragments of the earlier castle. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.