19th century folly in O'Meath

19th century folly in O'Meath - Hidden history

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Footsteps to hidden history. My adventure to the folly at Drumullagh, Co. Louth.
Nineteenth century folly in the grounds of the Omeath Park right beside the border between the north and south of Ireland. 10 sided tower, 2 story maybe 3 story with 1 fire. Back in the day it would have had views to the Follie I visited yesterday across the lough at Narrow water castle woods in Warrenpoint which is only 2.21 mile as the crow flys and would have been direct line of sight between the two.. With thanks to PJ for showing the folly on maps. Though I accessed it from the main O'Meath to Newry road, bad idea! Would be best accessed via the flagstaff road. I got the car badly stuck on a grass verge where I parked. Apart from that it was a great wee spot to see.
Bensons Glen Castle its knows as locally. a hexagonal hunting lodge which is thought to have been built with the stone from a castle built lower down the Glen by Shane O'Neill in the 1550s.............. Shane O'Neill had a castle at Fathom from which he harassed the English garrison in Newry around 1560.
According to local accounts given to Samuel Lewis in 1837 for his Topographical Survey of Co. Armagh:
"there was an 'old castle at Fathom' ....built by the O'Neill's ... It was demolished in 1730 in building canal & was roughly in position of the first lock." The first, older lock was immediately below the glen, so at most Shanes' castle was little lower down the hill. The Victoria Lock was the second, later lock (completed in 1837, the year Victoria came onto the throne) - the first lock was at what we used to call The Tanks, which is where the stream through Benson's Glen flows into the canal. The Bensons were very minor landlords who lived in Fathom House, which is still there, at the bottom of the glen.