Castle, Behernagh, Co. Offaly

Castle, Behernagh, Co. Offaly

High on the upland grounds of Behernagh in County Offaly stands what remains of a once formidable castle.

Castle, Behernagh, Co. Offaly

Today, only a fragment of a circular tower survives, likely the corner tower of what would have been the castle’s bawn; a fortified wall that enclosed and protected the main buildings. The rest of the structure has long since vanished, leaving this solitary stone sentinel as the sole witness to centuries of Irish history.

The castle’s significance is underscored by its appearance on the Down Survey maps of 1654-7, where it was marked as the ‘stumpe of a castle’. This survey, commissioned by Oliver Cromwell to redistribute Irish lands to his soldiers and adventurers, provides valuable historical evidence that even by the mid-17th century, the castle was already in ruins. The description suggests it had been abandoned or destroyed sometime before the Cromwellian conquest, though the exact circumstances of its demise remain unknown.



Archaeological surveys have found no other visible features at the site, making this lonely tower fragment all the more intriguing. Its position on elevated ground was typical of medieval fortifications, offering defensive advantages and commanding views over the surrounding countryside. While much of its story has been lost to time, this weathered remnant continues to mark the Offaly landscape, a tangible link to Ireland’s turbulent medieval past when such fortified dwellings were essential for survival in an often lawless frontier.

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NLI, MS 716 – National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey, of Offaly attested by W. Petty, in 1657. Copied by Daniel O’Brien. A set of 33 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.
Behernagh, Co. Offaly
52.94263617, -7.98574703
52.94263617,-7.98574703
Behernagh 
Masonry Castles 

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