Local tradition speaks of an old castle called Knockballymaher that once stood here, though its exact origins remain murky. When the Civil Survey was conducted between 1654 and 1656, no castle was recorded, but surveyors did note ‘the walls of a stone house’ standing on the lands of Knockballymagher, suggesting some form of substantial structure predated the later mansion.

The property’s documented history becomes clearer with the arrival of the Hutchinson family, Cromwellian settlers who established themselves here around 1660. According to Samuel Lewis’s 1837 topographical dictionary, they incorporated the remnants of the old castle into their new house. Family papers paint a vivid picture of this hybrid building: it featured a small round tower with a wooden spiral staircase, and its roof was originally covered with oak shingles, nailed on like slates. Over time, these shingles gave way to thatch, which covered the house for many years. James Hutchinson’s 1718 will, leaving Knockballymagher to his son James, confirms the family’s long tenure of the property.

By the nineteenth century, the old house had become known as Rockforest House, but its days were numbered. Sometime between 1840 and 1902, likely around 1852 when the Gibson family purchased the estate, the venerable structure was demolished. A new house was built about 200 metres to the north, leaving only memories and archival references to the curious building that had evolved from medieval castle to Cromwellian mansion. Today, visitors to the site must use their imagination to picture the oak;shingled roof and winding tower stairs that once characterised this remarkable piece of Tipperary’s architectural heritage.