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Ballycowan Castle

🇮🇪 Ireland · 16th century

Ballycowan Castle in Ireland
Photo: Kieran Campbell · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ballycowan Castle is a castle located 4 km west of Tullamore, County Offaly. It was built in 1589 as a fortified house by Thomas Morres.

The castle was built on the previous site of the O’Molloy castle or tower house called Baile-mhic-Abhainn which was destroyed by a fire in 1557.

The adjacent tower was built by Sir Jasper Herbert and his wife Lady Jane Finglas in 1626 on land given to them during plantations.

During the Cromwellian period the southern end of the castle was blown up from a hill 100 yards away. The lands on which the castle stood were confiscated and handed over to the Earl of Mountrath in 1666.

Text adapted from “Ballycowan Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ballycowan Castle ranks #6,620 of 7,044 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #171 of the 171 mapped in Ireland. Founded 1589, it is older than 33% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 687 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ballycowan Castle?

Ballycowan Castle stands in Ireland, at 53.27642°, -7.55874°.

When was Ballycowan Castle built?

The atlas dates its founding to 1589. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.

How famous is Ballycowan Castle?

In this atlas's fame ranking: #6,620 of 7,044 worldwide, and #171 in Ireland. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.

What is the nearest castle to Ballycowan Castle?

Charleville Castle, about 3 km away.

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