Ballysaggartmore Towers

Ballysaggartmore Towers are two stone structures with turrets and crenellations that once guarded the entrance to a country estate, linked by ornamental iron gates and masonry walls. They display detailed stonework and Gothic Revival styling typical of 1830s estate architecture.

Arthur Keily-Ussher commissioned these elaborate entrance structures in 1834 as a grand gateway to a planned mansion that financial troubles prevented from ever being built. They remain as architectural fragments of a vision that was never completed.

The towers reveal the building ambitions and social rivalries of Anglo-Irish landowners in the 1800s through their elaborate stonework and decorative details. They stand as a physical expression of how the wealthy displayed status and prosperity through architecture.

A marked woodland trail of roughly 2 kilometers circles the towers, with parking and benches available along the route for rest. The path is easy to walk and provides different angles to view the structures.

The towers were designed not by a renowned architect but by the estate's head gardener, John Smyth, showing how talented craftspeople contributed to grand architectural projects. The decorative iron gates were manufactured locally and demonstrate the quality of regional ironwork from that period.