Castle — tower house in Scregg (athlone North By.)

Traditionally an O'Kelly castle, it may be the Skreen of the O'Kelly genealogies which is first mentioned c. 1470 (O'Donovan 1843, 113-8). The two quarters of Skrigg amounting to 210 acres was owned by Sir Luke Dillon of Loughglinn (RO020-003001-) in 1641, and by the 1660s the smaller portion of 65 acres with the castle was owned by Theobald Dillon, probably connected with Loughglinn while the remainder was owned by the Charles Coote, the first earl of Mountrath (Simington 1949, 118 (311, 312)). Situated on a rock outcrop pinnacle at the N end of a NW-SE ridge. The foundations of a tower (int. dims 7.85m E-W; 4.5m N-S) defined by walls (at N: T 1.35m; at W: T 2.1m) protruding from a grass-covered cairn (diam. 19m E-W; 18m N-S; H 1m at E to 3.4m at N). There is evidence of embrasures in the W and N walls (int. H 1.5m), and a possible newel stairs at the NE angle. Immediately to the S a small rectangular enclosure (RO042-147002-) (dims c. 15m N-S; 15m E-W) is defined by an earthen bank (Wth 2.2m; int. H 0.6m; ext. H 0.5m) and outer fosse (Wth of base 1.2m; D 0.6m) at S, and the remains of walls (Wth 1-1.2m) at E and W. It may have served as a bawn although it is part of a field system extending down the steep slope to the W. There is a shallow rectangular quarry (RO042-147003-) (dims 15m N-S; 15m E-W; D 0.4-0.8m) SE of the tower house which probably provided the material for the castle. Two sheela-na-gig (RO042-091001-; RO042-091002-), now built into a later structure associated with Scregg House, c. 100m to the N, are thought to have come from the castle. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 19 October 2015