What is recorded here

Walter de Lacy began building a castle at the Shannon crossing in 1221, but Cathal Croibdhearg Ó Conchobhair forced him to abandon the work before it finished. The unfinished stones and timber may have sat exposed to the river fog for years, waiting for a lord who never returned. Lanesborough eventually grew around the later fortification, yet the first castle vanished so completely that even its exact spot remains uncertain behind the modern car park.

At the NW end of Lanesborough town (LF017-003----), at a strategic crossing point across the river Shannon where it flows into the NE end of Lough Ree. A ‘castle’ is recorded as being under construction in 1221 by Walter de Lacy (ALC., 263): whether of earth and timber or stone is not known. The castle was never completed because Cathal Croibdhearg Ó Conchobhair, King of Connacht, crossed the Shannon and forced him to abandon it (ALC; AFM; A. Clon. sub 1120; Bradley et al. 1985, 25). A castle, probably de Lacy’s, was finally built or completed in 1227 (Ann. Conn.; AFM) and its construction appears to have been the spur to the development of a ‘vill’ or settlement which had been granted a charter before 1235 (MacNiocaill 1977, 55). The castle was destroyed in 1271 (Ann. Conn., 159) and nothing further is recorded about it. Its precise location is uncertain but it is likely to have been constructed near the bridge where a 'Castle (Site of)' is marked on the 1911-12 edition of the OS 6-inch map, currently a grass field immediately behind St. Mary’s parish hall and adjacent to the town car park. As the castle is sometimes referenced in documentary sources under the name Ballyleague, it has led some commentators (see O'Conor and Parker 2010, 86) to suggest that it might have been located on the W side of the river, in county Roscommon, at the tower-house (RO037-004----): there are, however, no visible remains of such at this location. The site appears to have been the location for another fortification (LF017-003011-) erected in the late 16th or early 17th century. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 2 April 2012

Walter built a castle at Lanesborough in 1221, strategically positioned at a key crossing point over the River Shannon. It is remembered for its role in medieval English expansion and control in the midlands of Ireland.

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.