Loughmoe Castle

Loughmoe Castle stands at Tinvoher, Ireland, and was established by the Anglo‑Normans associated with the Purcell family.

Genealogical notes trace members of the Purcell kin as far back as 1035, with 12th‑century landholdings in England and participation by a Hugh Purcell in the Anglo‑Norman invasion of Ireland in 1171. In 1204 the land around Loughmoe was granted to Sir Hugh Purcell as a dowry from Beatrix FitzWalter’s father, Theobald FitzWalter, and Sir Hugh is recorded as the first Baron of Loughmoe by later tradition. At a later date, in 1328, Richard Purcell received the title of Baron Luach Mag from the first Earl of Ormond; that title was not recognised by the English crown.

The surviving castle fabric records a complex construction history. The core that remains is a four‑storey tower or tower‑house, described as the oldest structural element; its earliest masonry has been assigned different dates, with some records placing the earliest work in the 1200s and others attributing the oldest surviving fabric to the 15th–16th centuries. The Purcell family carried out further building at Loughmoe in the 17th century, creating additions attached to the original tower.

Members of the family associated with the castle are recorded under many personal names, including Richard, Phillip, Geoffrey Rothe, Thomas, Peter, James, John, Patrick, Theobald and Nicholas Purcell. Local tradition preserves a story that a member of the family killed a giant boar and sow, won the king’s daughter and thus the castle lands; that legendary boar appears in the family heraldry as four boar heads. The Purcells occupied the castle until about 1760, after which the buildings fell into disrepair and the site became a ruin. The castle’s lands formed part of the barony of Eliogarty.