Whilst these fortifications appear clearly on the historical map, their exact locations within the historic town centre remain a mystery. Today, no visible traces of these castles can be found along Oliver Plunkett Street or The Square, leaving historians to piece together their story from documentary evidence alone.

The existence of these vanished strongholds is corroborated by Sir Henry Piers, who wrote in 1682 about Mullingar’s collection of “old fashionable castles”, noting that whilst some still stood in his day, others had already been demolished and replaced with “better or at least more commodious houses”. This transformation from medieval defensive structures to more practical domestic buildings reflects a common pattern across Irish towns during the late 17th century, as the need for fortified dwellings diminished and urban life became more settled.

The three castles shown on Richards’ map, collectively annotated as ‘Building D’, represent just part of Mullingar’s former defensive landscape, which once included at least six castle sites throughout the town. Their disappearance from the physical streetscape makes these documentary sources all the more valuable, offering a glimpse into a time when Mullingar’s main thoroughfare was dominated by tower houses and fortified residences rather than the shops and businesses that line it today.