5 castles, from Norman keeps to the tower houses that Gaelic and Anglo-Irish families raised in their hundreds — and the ones that are now four walls and a jackdaw.
Ballaghmore (historically Bellaghmore, from Irish: an Bealach Mór, meaning 'the great way') is a small village located on the western side of County Laois, Ireland, southwest of Portlaoise. It is approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) east of Roscrea. The village is in the civil parish of Kyle in the historic barony of Clandonagh.
Cullahill Castle was the principal stronghold of the MacGillapatricks of Upper Ossory built around 1425 and destroyed around 1650. Cullahill Castle takes its name from an ancient forest that covered Cullahill Mountain and extended down to Cullahill village.
Dunamase or the Rock of Dunamase (Irish: Dún Másc "fort of Másc") is a rocky outcrop in County Laois, Ireland. Rising 46 metres (151 ft) above a plain, it has the ruins of Dunamase Castle, a defensive stronghold dating from the early Hiberno-Norman period with a view across to the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
Lea Castle is a ruined medieval castle near Portarlington, County Laois. The remains of the castle mostly date to the 13th century and consist of a four-storey donjon and a gatehouse.
Tinnakill Castle (Irish: Tigh na Coille, lit. 'house of the wood'), also known as Tynekill, is a ruined medieval tower house in the parish of Coolbanagher, in the Barony of Portnahinch, County Laois in Ireland.
Descriptions are Wikipedia's own opening lines, used under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a link to each article; the list and the coordinates come from the same place. Nothing here is a guide to access — many of these are private homes or stand in private fields.
What stood in Laois before anybody thought of building a keep.