Built in the 1260s by Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baron of Offaly, on the banks of the River Barrow near Portarlington, Lea Castle was later seized and held by the Gaelic O'Dempsey clan during the medieval Irish resurgence. Its substantial ruined keep and curtain wall remain in a remote riverside field.
Visiting Lea Castle (in ruins)
Ruin on farmland, viewable from public road, minimal access
"Built in the 1260s by Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baron of Offaly, on the banks of the River Barrow near Portarlington, Lea Castle was later seized and held by the Gaelic O'Dempsey clan during the medieval Irish resurgence."
Where to stay nearby
The closest castle hotel is Kilkea Castle, 33.92 km away in Castledermot — Built in 1180 by Hugh de Lacy for Sir Walter de Riddlesford; the surviving keep is largely 15th-century and it was the principal seat of the FitzGerald Earls of Kildare for around seven centuries.
Nearest castle hotel · 33.92 km
Kilkea Castle
Castledermot, Co. Kildare · 4-star
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