Ballinlough Castle is a 17th-century country house situated near the rural town of
Clonmellon
Clonmellon (, but also attested to originally have been ''Cluain Miolain'') 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 De ...
in
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on a hill overlooking two of the Westmeath lakes. It is the home of Sir Nicholas and Lady Nugent.
House and gardens
The ground floor comprises a large drawing room and dining room with four first-floor bedrooms approached by a vaulted corridor above. The rooms have what may be the tallest windows in a private house of this period, overlooking the woods and lake. The chimneypiece in the drawing room is identical to a Wyatt chimneypiece at Curraghmore, Co. Waterford.
The gardens, together with the lakeside and woodland walks, are no longer open to the public, but are the venue for the
Body & Soul Music Festival in June.
History
The castle was built in 1614, according to the date on the O'Reilly coat of arms over the front door. It was extended in approximately 1790, when a new wing was added by Sir Hugh O'Reilly, probably attributable to the amateur Thomas Wogan Browne, who was also responsible for
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle ( ga, Caisleán Mhullach Íde), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over of remaining parkland estate, forming the ...
, the home of Sir Hugh O'Reilly's sister Margaret.
In 1812 the family changed their name from O'Reilly to Nugent. Hugh O'Reilly, who had been made a Baronet, assumed by Royal licence the surname of Nugent under the terms of a legacy from his maternal uncle John Nugent. Since then several generations of Baronet Nugents have occupied the house. They are one of the few Irish Catholic families from the seventeenth century who still live in their original family home. The present owner is the 8th Baronet.
The grounds of the castle have hosted several music concerts. Artists who have performed there since 2006 include Kenny Rogers, Van Morrison, Pet Shop Boys, Tiesto, Alexandra Burke and Dwight Yoakam. The 4th annual
Life Festival was also held in the grounds in May 2009. In 2010 the castle hosted Ireland's first gay music festival, MILK.
The Nugent family have handed over the lands of Ballinlough Castle to the music festival Body & Soul every year since 2010, entrusting Avril Stanley and her team with the task
See also
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Nugent Baronets of Ballinlough
Other Westmeath Castles
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Clonyn Castle
Clonyn Castle also known as Delvin Castle, is a Victorian country house situated in Delvin, County Westmeath, Ireland some 18 km from Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most ...
aka Delvin Castle
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Killua Castle
Killua Castle, and the nearby Raleigh Obelisk, are situated near Clonmellon, County Westmeath, Ireland. The present house was built in about 1780 by Sir Benjamin Chapman and consisted of a hall, dining room, oval drawing room, breakfast parlour ...
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Knockdrin Castle
Knockdrin () is a townland and Electoral division (Ireland), electoral division that is 5.6 kilometers northeast of Mullingar, in County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the home of the Westmeath Hunt, and its most notable buildin ...
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Tullynally Castle
Tullynally Castle, also known as Pakenham Hall, is a country house situated some 2 km from Castlepollard on the Coole village road in County Westmeath, Ireland. The Gothic-style building has over 120 rooms and has been home to the Paken ...
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Tyrrellspass Castle
Tyrrellspass Castle, dating back to circa 1411, is situated in the town of Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is the only remaining castle of the Tyrrells, who came to Ireland around the time of the Norman Invasion.
Architecture
Th ...
References
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External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in County Westmeath
Castles in County Westmeath
Houses completed in 1614
1614 establishments in Ireland