Coolalough

22 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Coolalough, from 747 m² to 228,484 m² (22.85 ha, 56.46 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 13 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Coolalough in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 10 Sept 2021Conditional

  Open New Argicultural Entrance

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 21507

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Coolalough.

Recorded monuments

• WM037-002 Castle - tower house
  Description

  A castle stands on top of a small knoll, 240m SSE of Coolalough House, in undulating pasture, with extensive views of the surrounding landscape. Traces of a bawn (WM037-002001-) are visible enclosing the castle. Modern farm complex lies c. 50m to NE. Castle depicted on the first ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular-shaped building orientated WNW-ESE. Post-1700 limekiln 100m to E as shown on 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map. The ruins of Coolalough House were described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage [NIAH] as following; 'John Wesley preached to large congregations at Coolalough on a number of occasions. Wesley records in his letters in 1785 that the Handy Family had recently built a new property at Coolalough, apparently (re)named Bracca Castle, and it is likely that the outbuildings date to this time or shortly afterwards' (NIAH Reg. No. 15403708). Castle ruins described in 1979 as the remains of a tower house defined by upstanding sections of the W and N walls (approx. H 7m) with traces of low footings of the E and S walls (max. H 0.5m). The walls are built of undressed stones laid roughly in courses with a narrow loop in the lower W wall and a large gap above which probably represents a broken out window. There is no trace of any dressed stone. Castle is visible today as a rectangular-shaped ruin covered in vegetation on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 28 November 2019

• WM037-002001 Bawn
  Description

  Situated on top of a small knoll, in undulating pasture, with extensive views of the surrounding landscape. A modern farm complex lies c. 50m to NE. Not depicted on OS maps. Enclosing a tower house (WM037-002----) are traces of a rectangular-shaped enclosure defined by a stone wall which roughly follows the contour of a small knoll on which the castle stands. Possible outline of bawn is visible today on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 28 November 2019

Architectural heritage

• Coolalough House, farmyard complex, 1780–1820 · Regional interest
  Description

  Complex of single and two-storey outbuildings formerly serving Coolalough House (now a ruin), (re)built c.1800. Pitched natural slate roofs with raised cut stone verges. Rubble stone walls, originally roughcast rendered, with brick dressings to a number of the openings. Square-headed window openings with cut stone lintels and sills, fittings now gone. Complex surrounded by a rubble limestone boundary wall having rubble limestone gate piers (on square-plan) with cut stone coping over. Located to the west of the site of Coolalough House and to the east of Horseleap.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

No address of the register names Coolalough with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Coolalough

Area

1,705,184 m² (170.52 ha, 421.36 acres)

Civil parish

Ardnurcher Or Horseleap, and its townlands

Barony

Moycashel

Electoral division

Lauree, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Ardnurcher, Ballinlaban, Cloonymurrikin, Coolfin, Donore Demesne, Kilbeg, Spittaltown

Placenames

Coolalough on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.