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Historic Buildings of County Offaly
Republic of Ireland
See Historic Buildings Ireland - Main Page
Image right - Birr Castle by Tpower at English Wikipedia. - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikki Commons
If you have information about any of the Buildings mentioned below please share it here. If you have ancestors linked to any of the places please add them to the project.
The object of this project is to provide information about historic buildings in County Offaly, with links to sub-projects for specific buildings as appropriate. GENi profiles of people associated with those establishments can be linked to this project and/or to individual projects where they have been set up.
Castles, Baronial and Historic houses
... in alphabetical order
Including Castles, Abbeys, Manor Houses, Mansions, Stately Homes, Country houses, Estate houses, Courts, Halls, Parks and other listed buildings of historic interest
Full sizes of the thumbnail images can be seen in the Gallery attached to the project or by clicking the thumbnail image. TIP - Use ctrl+the link to open the image in a separate tab, or use "back" to return to this project page) Sources for the images can be found in the image details as seen in the gallery.
Names with Bold links are to Geni profiles or projects. Other links take you to external biographical web pages. Please copy and paste the bullet used - ● - instead of * when adding items to the list.
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● Ballycowan Castle - Ruins
Image above (cropped) Geograph © Copyright PAUL FARMER and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.
● Birr Castle, Restored Castle. 
Image right - Birr Castle - Out-of Copyright books - extracted from page 90 of volume 2 of The County Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, by Francis Orpen Morris. Original held and digitised by the British Library. Copied from Flickr
Notes from 'Irish Houses & Gardens-Archives from Country Life, by Sean O'Reilly, 1998): "A visit to Birr Castle, home of the Earls of Rosse, since 1619, and the town sidling up against it, is one of the most enchanting experiences to be had in Ireland.One finds here a summation of Irish country house histories. First, confrontations of the 17th century; then political distractions of the 18th century; to the more passive scientific & philanthropic concerns of the 19th century. The gardens are among the most famous in Ireland,,developed up to this century, when the 6th Earl and his wife, created a baroque effect in arched walks and among 300yr old box trees, half-pruned. The history of Birr began with the arrival of two brothers William & Laurence Parsons, Laurence was the younger, and was Attorney General for Munster from 1612, later acquiring hundreds of acres in the lands of the O'Carrolls, with a huge square tower, now near the present castle. An important gate-house was established,while other extensions were swept away by a descendant William, who wanted large spaces for a garden. There is a suspension bridge (1826) over the river Camcor, erected by the 3rd.Earl. Birr, no less than Ireland at large, was besieged, burned, deserted and recaptured. Then the gatehouse adopted a modern role as a residence, complete with yew carpentry features,particularly a magnificent staircase. The family took care of the property over generations. Sir Laurence became 2nd.Earl of Rosse, after his uncle, but without an inherited fortune. He partially remodelled buildings, and worked on the Georgian Gothic main saloon, a fine interior, with a free flow of window tracery, light and airiness. After 1830, some rooms took on a more Victorian style. Members of the family studied astronomy, science, and engineering - resulting in a battlemented support for the largest reflecting telescope in the world, while Sir Charles Argenon Parsons helped develop the steam turbine. Combined with their wider responsibilities, the estates were secured in the family's hands to the present generation ". Laurence Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse. born.July 26, 1749 Birr, Offaly, Ireland/
● Blundell Castle - Ruins
C
● Charleville Castle, Restored Castle Tullamore. 
Image right - Geograph © Copyright sarah gallagher and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.
Charleville Estate is located on the edge of the town. One of Ireland’s most splendid Gothic buildings, Charleville Castle, stands in this beautiful parkland which contains the King Oak, one of the biggest and oldest oak trees in the country. The castle is said to be haunted and was featured on series 1 of Living TV's Most Haunted.The first mansion house to be built on the site of Charleville castle was by Thomas Moore circa 1641. The estate passed through the hands of Charles Moore, Lord Tullamore, grandson of Thomas, and when he died in 1674 it went via his sister Jane to Charles William Bury. Charles William was later (1806) created the 1st Earl of Charleville in a second creation of the title. The new earl built a new house on the estate, commissioned in 1798, designed by Francis Johnston, and built between 1800 and 1812. The castle was not continuously occupied, owing to lack of resources. The castle remained uninhabited from 1912 when Colonel Howard Bury left to live in Belvedere House, County Westmeath. By 1968 the roof had been removed. Work on its restoration was started by Michael McMullen in 1971 and later by Constance Heavey Seaquist and Bonnie Vance. A Charitable Trust has been formed to help with the restoration. Currently, the Charleville Castle Heritage Trust is managed by Dudley Stewart
● Clara Castle, Ruins
● Cloghan Castle, Restored Castle
● Clonmacnoise Castle, Ruins
● Clonony Castle, Ruins
D
● Doon Castle, Ruins
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F
G
● Grange Castle, Intact Castle
H
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J
K
● Kinnitty Castle, Restored Castle
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● Leap Castle, Currently Under Restoration
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● Newtown Castle 
Image Right Geograph © Copyright Mike Searle and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence
Lying to the south of Kinnity, two storey fortified house probably built by Sir William Sinclair after being granted Newtown in 1621. By 1637 it had passed to William Parsons, and was later held by John Carroll. To the left of the house are the remains of circular corner flankers that adjoined the bawn.
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References and Sources
Offaly Specific
▶︎
General
▷ WIKI List of historical abbeys, castles and monuments in Ireland
▷ Irish Tourism - Buildings in Ireland
▷ Irish Tourist - Historic Buildings
▷ Irish Central - Historical sites to visit in Ireland
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Other Pages for Historic Buildings of Ireland Counties
Historic Buildings of County Cavan
Historic Buildings of County Carlow
Historic Buildings of County Clare
Historic Buildings of County Cork
Historic Buildings of County Donegal
Historic Buildings of County Dublin
Historic Buildings of County Galway
Historic Buildings of County Kerry
Historic Buildings of County Kildare
Historic Buildings of Co. Kilkenny
Historic Buildings of Co. Kilkenny A - B
Historic Buildings of County Laois
Historic Buildings of County Leitrim
Historic Buildings of County Limerick
Historic Buildings of County Longford
Historic Buildings of County Louth
Historic Buildings of County Mayo
Historic Buildings of County Meath
Historic Buildings of County Monaghan
Historic Buildings of County Roscommon
Historic Buildings of County Sligo
Historic Buildings of County Tipperary
Historic Buildings of County Waterford
Historic Buildings of County Westmeath
Historic Buildings of County Wexford
Historic Buildings of County Wicklow
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