Built in the 1700s by the Ormsby family, this Georgian mansion once commanded extensive estates in County Mayo. The house represented the height of Anglo-Irish architectural fashion, featuring classical proportions and elegant stonework that would have impressed visitors arriving along its tree-lined avenue.

The Ormsbys, like many landlord families of their era, derived their wealth from agricultural rents and played a significant role in local politics and society. The estate flourished through much of the 19th century, with the big house serving as the administrative heart of thousands of acres. However, the Land War of the 1880s and subsequent land reforms gradually eroded the economic foundations of estates like Castlemagarret. By the early 20th century, mounting debts and changing political realities forced the family to sell off portions of the land to tenants under various Land Acts.

Today, the castle ruins offer visitors a chance to explore the complex layers of Irish history. The remaining walls and architectural details hint at former grandeur, whilst nature slowly reclaims the structure; ivy creeps across cut stone and birds nest in empty window frames. The surrounding parkland, once carefully manicured, has returned to a wilder state, creating an atmospheric setting that speaks to both the rise and fall of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy in rural Ireland.