Mortimer's Castle | |
---|---|
Native name Irish: Caisleán De Moirtiméir | |
Fahatty Castle The Old Court | |
Type | Castle |
Location | Faughalstown, County Westmeath, Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°38′55″N7°20′29″W / 53.648607°N 7.341412°W Coordinates: 53°38′55″N7°20′29″W / 53.648607°N 7.341412°W |
Area | Inny Valley |
Built | 14th/15th century |
Architectural style(s) | Anglo-Norman |
Official name | Mortimer's Castle |
Reference no. | 610 [2] |
Mortimer's Castle is a castle and National Monument located in County Westmeath, Ireland. [3]
Mortimer's Castle is located on the east bank of Lough Derravaragh, 4.4 km (2.7 mi) southwest of Castlepollard.
The castle is believed to derive its name from Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March (1374–98), who was Henry IV's Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for the last three years of his life, before dying in an ambush at Kells, County Meath (or maybe Kells, County Kilkenny or Kellistown, County Carlow). [4] [1]
Other accounts connect it with Edmund de Mortimer, 5th Earl of March and 7th Earl of Ulster (1391–1425), who was born at New Forest near Tyrrellspass.
A local legend said that a large amount of gold was buried in a cellar on the site, guarded by a black cat. [5]
A large Anglo-Norman castle stood on the site, 52 m × 125 m (57 yd × 137 yd) in dimensions. The remains of a two-storey stone tower are in the northwest corner. [6]
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, 7th Earl of Ulster, was an English nobleman and a potential claimant to the throne of England. A great-great-grandson of King Edward III of England, he was heir presumptive to King Richard II of England when he was deposed in favour of Henry IV. Edmund Mortimer's claim to the throne was the basis of rebellions and plots against Henry IV and his son Henry V, and was later taken up by the House of York in the Wars of the Roses, though Mortimer himself was an important and loyal vassal of Henry V and Henry VI. Edmund was the last Earl of March of the Mortimer family.
County Meath is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the southwest, Westmeath to the west, Cavan to the northwest, and Monaghan to the north. To the east, Meath also borders the Irish Sea along a narrow strip between the rivers Boyne and Delvin, giving it the second shortest coastline of any county. Meath County Council is the local authority for the county.
County Westmeath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of Meath, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland. Westmeath County Council is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.
Trim Castle is a castle on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, with an area of 30,000 m2. Over a period of 30 years, it was built by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter as the caput of the Lordship of Meath. The Irish Government currently own and are in charge of the care of the castle, through the state agency The Office of Public Works (OPW).
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
Castlepollard is a village in north County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. It lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar.
Delvin is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland; it is located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is 20 km (12 mi) from Mullingar.
The Abbey of Kells is a former monastery in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, 64 kilometres (40 mi) north of Dublin. It was founded in the early 9th century, and the Book of Kells was kept there during the later medieval and early modern periods before finally leaving the abbey in the 1650s. Much of the Book of Kells may have been created there, but historians cannot be certain of the exact date and circumstances of its creation.
Clonmellon is a small village officially in County Westmeath although on the border with County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the N52 road between Kells in County Meath and Delvin in County Westmeath.
Ballynacargy, or Ballinacarrigy, is a small village in County Westmeath, Ireland on the Royal Canal and the R393 regional road. The last official commercial navigation of the canal took place in 1955.
The Battle of Kells was a battle between Edward Bruce and Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer.
Athlone Castle, sometimes known as Adamson Castle, is a castle located in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, dating from the 12th century.
Portlick Castle is a late medieval tower house castle near the village of Glasson, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located approximately 6 miles from Athlone on the shores of Lough Ree. It comprises a square late medieval 4-storey stone tower with an attached 2-storey Georgian wing and Victorian tower.
Fore is a barony in northern County Westmeath, Ireland. It was formed by 1672.
The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial liberty in medieval Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority. The Lordship was roughly co-extensive with the medieval kingdom of Meath. At its greatest extent, it included all of the modern counties of Fingal, Meath, Westmeath as well as parts of counties Cavan, Kildare, Longford, Louth and Offaly. The Lordship or fiefdom was imbued with privileges enjoyed in no other Irish liberty, including the four royal pleas of arson, forestalling, rape, and treasure trove.
Corkaree is a barony in north County Westmeath, in the Republic of Ireland. It was formed by 1672. It is bordered by three other baronies: Fore, Moyashel and Magheradernon and Moygoish.
Moygoish is a barony in north County Westmeath, in the Republic of Ireland, formed by 1672. It is bordered by County Longford to the west and four other Westmeath baronies: Corkaree, Fore, Moyashel and Magheradernon and Rathconrath to the south–west.
Taghmon Church is a fortified church and National Monument in County Westmeath, Ireland.
Pallas Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.