What is recorded here

Sonna Ho. stands in Westmeath as a lost castle rather than a visible ruin, because Sonna House shows no remains older than the 18th century. The Down Survey placed Sonnagh Castle on a hillock above a stream in Templeoran parish, belonging to Sir Oliver Tuite, an Irish Papist. That much is clear; the exact stones are not.

The precise location of Sonnagh Castle belonging to Sir Oliver Tuite an 'Irish Papist' has not been identified. The medieval castle is depicted as a tower house type structure standing on top of a hillock N of a stream on the 1655-9 Down Survey map of Templeoran parish (NLI, MS 723-4). On this map the castle is located in the area that roughly corresponds with the location of Sonna House. The castle is not depicted on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps. The terrier of the Down Survey parish map recorded that the parish of Templeoran 'Hath two Castles much ruinated one at Sonnagh and the other at Parcelstowne'. There is no evidence to suggest that Sonna House was built on the site of the medieval castle. Sonna House was visited in 1983 and no visible remains of any features earlier than the 18th century were identified at this location. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 4 October 2016.

Sonnagh Castle was held by Sir Oliver Tuite, an "Irish Papist," during the late medieval period. It is remembered for its typical tower house design and its strategic position on a hillock, reflecting the defensive architecture of the time in Ireland.

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