Newcastle

On a low rise overlooking the Inny River to the W and N. In 1680 Robert Choppayne purchased the lands of Newcastle from Gerald Fitzgerald, 17th Earl of Kildare, and it is believed that he built the front block of this house around this time (Whelan 2001, 8). Described by Nicholas Dowdall in 1682 as a ‘fayre house’ (ibid., 6). It is a large rectangular house (ext. dims. 20.4m ENE-WSW; c. 13m NNW-SSE) with a modern render and it originally comprised two storeys over a basement. A third storey, wings at the ENE and WSW sides and a porch over the front door were added later. There is a 19th-century armorial plaque with the King family coat of arms over the porch. The chimneys, which are on each gable, were modernised with brick. There is little evidence, either to the exterior or interior fabric, to confirm whether the front block dates to the late 17th century (www.buildingsofireland.ie, Reg. 13402709, last accessed 4 July 2012). Memorial plaques and carved stone heads from ‘Mitchelstown Castle’ (CO019-026002-) were built into the NE elevation c. 1925, but have been removed and returned to Mitchelstown in recent years (ibid.).