Castle - tower house, Johnstown, Co. Westmeath
Castle - tower house, Johnstown, Co. Westmeath
The site appears on the 1659 Down Survey map of Delvin barony, where it’s depicted as a tower house fortification belonging to James Nugent, an Irish Catholic landowner. According to the parish terrier of the time, the castle was still in good repair, suggesting it remained an active residence rather than a romantic ruin.
The earthworks visible today tell a story of a complex medieval settlement that extended well beyond the castle itself. At the heart of the site lies a rectangular area measuring roughly 40 metres north to south and 25 metres east to west, enclosed by a wide, low earthen bank and a deep fosse, or defensive ditch. This central fortification sits within a larger sub-rectangular enclosure spanning approximately 91 by 95 metres, protected by substantial earthen banks and fosses on its northern and southern sides. The interior space is divided by radial banks that create smaller rectangular enclosures; these likely represent the remains of a bawn wall and various ancillary structures, or possibly even settlement earthworks where castle workers and their families once lived.
Modern aerial photography from 2011 reveals the remarkable preservation of these earthworks, though the northeastern side has become somewhat indistinct over the centuries. East to west cultivation ridges cross the site, evidence of later agricultural use that has added another layer to this palimpsest of Irish history. While the stone tower house itself may be gone, these earthen remains offer valuable insights into how a medieval Irish castle complex functioned, with its defensive structures, working areas, and the ordered landscape that supported castle life.