Castle — unclassified in Rathlee

A castle is shown on the S boundary of Rathlee townland (Parish of Easkey) on the 17th-century Down Survey Parish maps. The ruins of the castle were still visible in the 19th century. In the early years of that century, McParlan (1802, 91) recorded that ‘A great part of the ruins of Castleconnor, Rathlee, Lackan, Rosslee and Ardglass are still extant’. Towards the end of the century, O’Rorke (1898, 413), writing about Rathlee townland, noted that the area was formerly known as Mullach rath or Ichter rath, and was one of the chief seats of the O’Dowds, and that ‘There are still in the place some small remains of a castle, which was occupied in the early years of the seventeenth century, by the Albanagh or McDonnells. At the Restoration, Rathlee was granted to Captain William Ormsby, and is now owned by his heirs or assigns’. Neither writer provides details of the exact location of the castle within the townland. Its position on the Down Survey map suggests that it may have been located in the vicinity of Rathlee House which is recorded on the 1838 and 1913 OS 6-inch maps but is no longer extant. The exact location of the castle remains unknown. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 21 January 2014