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 Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an i ...

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on a hill overlooking two of the Westmeath lakes. It is the home of Nicholas and Alice Nugent.

History

While a castle was reputedly built on the site in 1614, according to the date on the O'Reilly coat of arms over the front door, some sources question this date. Dating from at least the 1770s, the building was extended , 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 (), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, 14 km (nine miles) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over of remaining parkland estate, forming the Malahide Demesne Regional P ...

, 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 fourth 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 leased the lands of Ballinlough Castle to the music festival Body & Soul every year since 2010.

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, County Waterford. The gardens, together with the lakeside and woodland walks, are no longer open to the public. It was also the former venue for the Body & Soul music festival.

Other Westmeath Castles

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 along the N52. It is a square, symmetrical, two-storey castle-like building of cut limestone ...

aka Delvin Castle *

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 parlo ...

* Knockdrin Castle *

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 ...

Tyrrellspass Castle Tyrrellspass Castle is a medieval castle in Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, Ireland. Dating back to circa 1411, it is the only remaining castle of the Tyrrells who came to Ireland around the time of the Norman Invasion. Architecture The cas ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in County Westmeath Castles in County Westmeath Houses completed in 1614 1614 establishments in Ireland