What is recorded here

Three old castles stood on the south side of The Square in Mullingar, but no wall or stone marks the exact place of this one now. Richards mapped them in 1691 and Sir Henry Piers called them fashionable in 1682, yet better houses replaced them until the castle became only a site on paper. The town swallowed its own ancestors, turning stone into street and memory into guesswork.

Richards 1691 map of Mullingar shows three 'Old Castles' (WM019-089045-/046-) on the S side of Main Street (The Square) at the W end of the town. The precise location of this castle within the historic town of Mullingar (WM019-089----) has not been identified (Andrews and Davies 1992, 10). Marked as 'Site of Castle' on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. No surface remains visible of castle located in The Square at the W end of Main Street (Oliver Plunkett St.) in Mullingar town (WM019-089----) (Andrews and Davies 1992, 10). In 1682 Sir Henry Piers recorded that in the town of Mullingar (WM019-089----) there were, ‘ancient buildings here [that] were old fashionable castles (WM019-089001-; WM019-089008-; WM019-089010-; WM019-089029-; WM019-089030-; WM019-089032-), some of which remain yet, and some are demolished, and better or at least more commodious houses are built in their room’ (Vallancey 1786, 78). See attached image of a group of 3 castles annotated as Building D [Old Castles] and located on the S side of The Square as shown on Richards Map of 1691 - taken from Irish Historic Towns Atlas of Mullingar (Andrews and Davies 1992, Map 4). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 July 2014

The site of Castle, Mullingar is associated with early Norman or medieval fortifications in the area, though specific builders or holders are not clearly recorded. It is remembered for its historical presence in Richards' 1691 map, indicating its significance in the early development of Mullingar town.

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