Site of Castle, Paddinstown, Co. Westmeath
Standing on a gentle rise above the surrounding grasslands of County Westmeath, the site of Paddinstown Castle presents an intriguing puzzle for those interested in Ireland's medieval heritage.
Site of Castle, Paddinstown, Co. Westmeath
The castle itself has long since vanished from the landscape, leaving behind only subtle earthworks and conflicting historical records about its precise location. The townland boundary with Paddinstown Upper runs along the western and southern edges of the site, marking ancient territorial divisions that have endured far longer than the stone walls that once stood here.
Historical maps tell a curious tale of cartographic confusion. The 1837 Ordnance Survey six-inch map marks the castle site with a dotted circle west of a curved field boundary, placing it roughly 50 metres east of where the 1911 revision would later position it. By the time surveyors returned in 1911, no visible remains of the levelled castle could be found at either location, though they dutifully marked it as ‘Site of Castle’ based on local knowledge and earlier records.
Today, visitors to the area might spot a low rectangular earthwork measuring approximately 10 by 7 metres, situated west of the roadway near the contested castle location. These modest mounds, along with some possible earthworks to the north, may represent the last physical traces of the medieval stronghold. Whether this marks the true site of the castle or merely associated structures remains uncertain; a reminder that even in our age of precise GPS coordinates, the exact locations of Ireland’s lost castles can still elude us.