Castle, Newtown, Co. Westmeath
On a gentle hill overlooking Newtown Lough, about 230 metres to the east, lie the remains of what may have been Newtown Castle in County Westmeath.
Castle, Newtown, Co. Westmeath
Today, visitors will find grass-covered stone foundations tracing out the footprint of a rectangular enclosure, measuring roughly 16 metres north to south and 18 metres east to west. This structure likely served as a bawn, a fortified courtyard that was a common defensive feature of Irish castles and tower houses during the medieval and early modern periods. The interior space shows evidence of subdivision, with low wall footings creating distinct areas within the main enclosure.
The site extends beyond this central bawn, with old earthen banks and scarps running to the east, south, and southwest. These features still show traces of stone wall footings in places, suggesting a more extensive complex than what initially meets the eye. At the southwestern end of the site, another set of grass-covered foundations marks out a smaller rectangular structure, approximately 6 metres by 11 metres, which archaeologists believe could be the remains of the actual tower house or castle building itself.
Though time and nature have reclaimed much of the stonework, these ruins offer a tangible connection to medieval Irish life when such fortified homesteads dotted the landscape. The strategic positioning overlooking the lough would have provided both a defensive advantage and control over the surrounding territory, typical of castle sites throughout Ireland during this period.