What is recorded here

O' Carrolls Castle in Kilmaine, County Offaly, has vanished except for grass-covered rubble mounds and a wide fosse marking a possible bailey. The Camcor river still flows north of the low-lying site, while upland ground rises to the south. Whatever lived there has been reduced to shapes the earth can barely hold, yet the boundary ditch remains visible enough to suggest the castle once divided inside from outside.

All that remains of the destroyed castle known as O' Carrolls Castle are a few grass covered mounds of loosely piled rubble with a wide fosse (Wth 3m; D 0.5m) which is located to the S and E of the mounds. Fosse may indicate site of possible bailey area. The site is situated on the low-lying floodplains of the Camcor river which is located to the N with upland area to the S. (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 25) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

The castle was built by the O'Carroll family, a prominent Gaelic Irish clan, during the late medieval period, likely between the 14th and 16th centuries. It is remembered as a symbol of their local power and territorial influence in the region.

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