This fortress met its dramatic end in 1595 when Hugh Roe O’Donnell, the famous Ulster chieftain, captured and destroyed it during his campaign against English authority in Ireland. Despite its documented importance, the castle has vanished so completely that archaeologists haven’t been able to pinpoint its exact location, leaving only tantalising clues scattered across the historical record.

The most intriguing possibility for the castle’s whereabouts lies with a circular tower that forms part of a 17th-century fortified house in the area. This structure, marked as ‘Old Castle’ on the 1914 Ordnance Survey map, might represent the last surviving remnant of the medieval fortress, either marking the original site or perhaps even incorporating stones from the earlier building into its walls. The connection remains speculative, but it’s a compelling theory given the tower’s defensive architecture and its suggestive name on historical maps.

What makes this site particularly fascinating is how it represents the layers of Irish history; a medieval castle possibly destroyed during the Nine Years’ War, its stones potentially recycled into a plantation-era fortified house, which itself has now become a historical curiosity. The absence of visible remains above ground doesn’t diminish the site’s significance; rather, it adds to the mystery of a castle that once housed a constable and gaol, played a role in one of Ireland’s most turbulent periods, and then seemingly disappeared into the Longford countryside.