Killeglan Caslte, Killeglan, Co. Roscommon
The remnants of Killeglan Castle stand on a low ridge about 80 metres west of the Killeglan River in County Roscommon, where two weathered wall fragments rise up to four metres high.
Killeglan Caslte, Killeglan, Co. Roscommon
These surviving sections, found on the north and east sides of what was once a rectangular structure, include the embrasure of a window in the eastern wall. The castle walls, roughly 60 centimetres thick, outline a building that measured at least 8.5 metres from north to south and 3 metres from west to east.
This was likely a Keogh castle, as historical records show Shane McKeogh held tenancy under the Earl of Clanrickard at Killeglan in 1617. The structure appears on the Strafford map from around 1636, marked downstream from a watermill along the river. The castle sits just outside the southern end of its original bawn, a fortified enclosure that still traces a grassy rectangular area measuring approximately 30 metres by 24 metres. While sections of masonry wall remain visible along the northern and western boundaries of the bawn, the eastern and southern sides are naturally defended by steep scarps.
Today, visitors can explore these atmospheric ruins where the Killeglan River makes its westward turn, offering a tangible connection to the region’s 17th-century landscape. The site represents the type of fortified dwelling common among tenant families of the Irish nobility during this period, when local strongholds dotted the countryside and waterways provided both defensive advantages and practical resources for daily life.