castles historical around mullingar

This town is about 13 miles from Mullingar and was built in the late 17th century by the Pollard family under a charter from Charles II. The old National school has been converted into an agricultural museum and heritage centre. Just outside Castlepollard in Tullynally Castle, the home of the Earl of Longford's family, the Packenhams.

The gardens are open from May to September....

Tullynally has been the seat of the Pakenhams, later Earls of Longford, for over 300 years. Set in beautiful parkland and woods adjoining Lough Derravaragh, it is now probably the largest castle in Ireland still lived in as the family home; a forest of towers and turrets nearly a quarter of a mile round....

The castle is said to have been built in 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, for his brother-in-law, Sir Gilbert de Nugent, who resided in it for some time before building the neighbouring castle of Clonyn. But the castle was probably built in the early 13th century.

It was originally square in plan with four rounded turrets at the corner but only the western half of the castle remains, with two of the rounded turrets. The lower portion is now used as a shop store; the upper portion...