Ballinlough Castle, Medieval castle in County Westmeath, Ireland
Ballinlough Castle is a castle in County Westmeath, Ireland, set on a hillside between two lakes and surrounded by woodland and open fields. A wing added in the late 18th century extended the original medieval tower into a larger residence, and the full structure remains in private use today.
The castle was built in 1614 and has remained with the Nugent family ever since, making it one of the few Irish Catholic estates that was not lost during the land redistributions of the colonial period. Sir Hugh O'Reilly commissioned Thomas Wogan Browne to design a large wing in the late 18th century, turning a defensive tower into a more comfortable home.
The name Ballinlough comes from the Irish for 'town of the lake', which fits the setting between two stretches of water that shape the view from every window. Visitors who stay here are guests in a working home, not a restored monument, and the rooms still carry the feel of a place that has been lived in without interruption.
The castle is a private home and not open to individual visitors without prior arrangement, so booking well in advance is necessary. It sits in open countryside, so driving is the most practical way to reach it, and rubber boots or sturdy shoes are useful for exploring the grounds.
The windows inside are said to be among the tallest found in any private Irish house from that era, letting in a lot of light for a building of its age. High windows were a sign of wealth in the 18th century, so their size was as much a social statement as an architectural one.
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