We saw this castle while we were driving from Thomastown to Durrow, so we stopped to have a look at it.
It was built in the 15th century by the Mountgarrets, a branch of the Butler family, though the name derives from Richard Le Garret, a Norman who owned the land in the 13th century. They continued to live here until 1788.
This tower house stands in a farmyard with no people around. The sheds around the castle are merely used to store sacks of fertilizers.
A heap of sand and gravel is stacked against the north (345°) wall.
The tower measures 12 metres on each side and is 5 storeys high, with a crenellated top and a machicolation on its south-southeast side, right above the doorway which is walled up.
There's a good number of windows, most of them are just slits or arrow-loops, one is a two-light window, but it's walled up, one window on the west-southwest wall is mullioned. The castle also had a bawn wall, most of which still survives, with corner towers.
The site is a real mess and this castle would deserve more respect, instead of being used as a spare part of a farmyard.
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