The name itself tells a story; it translates to ‘the stone castle of the marshal’, hinting at its military significance in centuries past. Today, visitors to this quiet spot will find little more than a grass-covered scarp about two metres high running north to south for roughly five metres, possibly the remnant of an old wall, with another potential wall fragment incorporated into the modern field fence. Several large, roughly hewn stones scattered about the site, some measuring up to 1.5 metres long, may be pieces of the original masonry, though it’s difficult to distinguish these from ordinary field clearance stones that farmers have dumped here over the years.

The castle appears on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map as a rectangular building aligned north to south, and historical records tell us that by 1640 it belonged to one George Magawly. The site occupies a strategic position on the southern side of a low east-west ridge, offering commanding views across the surrounding pasture lands to the east, south and west. Just 145 metres to the northeast stands an ancient ringfort, suggesting this area has been of importance for many centuries. The field directly across the road is still known locally as the Castle Field, and its curved boundary of earth and stone may once have defined a bailey or courtyard associated with the castle.

Though the physical remains are modest, the site offers an intriguing glimpse into Westmeath’s turbulent past when such fortified dwellings dotted the landscape. The castle’s position at this crossroads, combined with its proximity to the earlier ringfort, speaks to the enduring importance of this location through different periods of Irish history. Whilst thorn trees and briars now obscure much of what little remains, the site continues to hold its secrets beneath the peaceful rural setting.