Laragh

5 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Laragh, from 2,144 m² (0.21 ha, 0.53 acres) to 336,030 m² (33.6 ha, 83.03 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 11 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Laragh 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.

• 6 Jan 2026Conditional

  works to a Protected Structure ref no 011-046. Restoration of existing abandoned herd house and adjoining barn and storage sheds for use as habitable accommodation for a single commercial letting. Works will consist of rebuilding of 2 no. brick chimney stacks, roof repair, reinsertion of fenestration, electrics servicing and flooring. Provision of two new openings to internal walls, removal of loft floor reinsertion of replica external porch, external landscaping and ancillary site work including new septic tank and percolation area. The reroofing of external open sided shed presently unroofed. The moving of the cattle yard and crush presently in this compound to a rear field and repair of boundary walls and gates

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 2660003

• 13 Jun 2022Refused

  consisting of 1No. two storey, four bedroom dwelling, retention of historic barn and house (Protected Structure Ref: RPS 011-033 NIAH 1540113)for ancillary storage, retention, repair and partial demolition of protected stone walls, associated site works, landscaping, boundary treatments and all associated ancillary site development works necessary to facilitate the development.

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 22317

• 20 May 2022N/a

  1 No. two storey, four bedroom dwelling, retention of historic barn & house (Protected Structure Ref: RPS 011-033 NIAH 15401113), for use as storage, retention of stone walls and associated site works, landscaping, boundary treatments and all associated ancillary site development works necessary to facilitate the development

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 22265

• 6 May 2022N/a

  consisting of 1 No. two storey, four-bedroom dwelling, retention and restoration of historic barn and house, for use as a home office and storage, retention of stone walls and associated site works, landscaping, boundary treatments, and all ancillary site development works necessary to facilitate the development

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 22231

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 Laragh.

Recorded monuments

• WM011-120 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Situated on low-lying grassland overlooked by gently rising ground to the SW. Nunnery (WM011-121---) 200m to NE. A rectangular shaped area (approx. dims. 20m NW-SE; 25m NE-SW) enclosed by an earthen bank and shallow external fosse marks the site of Laragh Castle which is depicted as a tower house type structure on the 1654-9 Down Survey map of Kilmacnevan parish where it is shown standing on the lands of Robert Fitzgerald, an 'Irish Papist' (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of this parish map recorded that there 'are three Castles in this Parrish lately ruinous vizt. in Emper (WM010-002----) one, in Ballintue (WM010-040001-) one and at Laragh one' (ibid.). The NW side of the enclosure has been largely levelled. Traces of cultivation ridges are visible running NE-SW across the interior. This enclosure is at the centre of a complex of earthworks which covers an area measuring approximately 4 hectares. There is a possible hollow way running NW-SE, 40m to N and an earthen mound 80mto NNE Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 28 August 2017

• WM018-001 Penitential station
  Description

  Monument located beside the crossroads of Laragh, overlooking Kilmacnevan Church (WM011-115----) and graveyard (WM011-115001-) 550m to the W. Situated on the Hill of Laragh with commanding views in all directions. Penitential station located beside road with access for public via steps built into the roadside wall at SSE. Roughly rectangular-shaped flat-topped grass-covered mound of earth and stones with stone revetment or facing clearly visible on SE side. Stone chair (dims. 0.45m x 0.5m x 0.4m) built into SE face of mound known locally as 'St Patrick's Chair' (ASI Field Report). Statue of St. Patrick standing inside concrete shelter located 8m to SE. Earthworks in field to E appear to be the result of post-1700 quarrying. According to the Estate Records of William Meade Smythe there was a local tradition that, 'St. Patrick when on his journey to Usnagh crossed this hill, and when he reached the top or highest summit he rested. There is a resemblance of a rude chair, where he seated himself. I have heard it stated that people used to visit this chair and seat themselves in it to obtain a cure for pain or hurted back. I was told by a man now long dead that there was a cross erected here just beside the chair he told me he saw portion of the cross' (http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/westmeath/land/legends.txt). Surveyed in 2013 and described by McGuinness (2014, 66) as following: 'Roughly pointed-oval or eye-shaped mound (10m x 5.5m), its long axis running ENE-WSW, revetted by slabs of stone and dry-walling up to 1m in height, possibly ancient, with a roughly constructed stone chair at edge on SE side. Central part of mound rises slightly above revetment. A small modern statue of St. Patrick in a concrete shelter stands a short distance to SSE. Stone chair is named after St. Patrick and resembles a rough stone chair constructed beside a mass-rock in Rathduff townland about 1km to S. Mound lies at cross-roads and road clearly curves around it on N side, indicating its presence here when the infrastructure was developed. Although this mound cannot be classified as a prehistoric barrow on the basis of its current appearance, and has clearly functioned in and been shaped by recent pilgrimage tradition, it is nonetheless located near the summit of the prominent Hill of Laragh 1km to NW of a genuine mound-barrow or cairn (WM018-004---) and conceivably represents an altered or reused burial mound'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Date of upload: 23 February 2015

• WM018-006 Castle - ringwork
  Description

  Situated on the side of a high ridge running roughly NW-SE, with extensive views to N, E and SE, overlooked by higher ground to SW, W and NW. A castle (WM018-007----) lies c. 100m to SE. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork truncated at NW by a short field boundary running NE-SW and incorporating a townland boundary running S-W-NW. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a slightly penannular-shaped earthwork which is open to NW. Described in 1980 as a large, irregular roughly oval-shaped area (dims. 63m NNW-SSE; 63m E-W) enclosed by an earthen bank from NNW-N-E-S with an intervening berm and an outer bank from NNW-N-E-SE, and no evidence of an entrance feature. A townland boundary consisting of a wall and hedge forms the perimeter from S-W-NNW. An old field bank runs NE-SW from the corner of the townland boundary to the NE. The inner bank is poorly preserved where reduced to a scarp from NNW-N-NE, it is best preserved from NE-E-SE and is very low SE-S, where there are traces of internal and external stone facing. A flat intervening berm-like feature is present between the two banks. The outer bank of earth and stone is low and poorly preserved NNW-N-NNE, being reduced to a scarp NNE-E-SE. The interior has a relatively steep E-facing slope and has an uneven surface due to various disturbances visible as irregular scarps and hollows in the NW and SE quadrants. There are traces of old cultivation ridges running NE-SW across the S quadrant. There are old cultivation ridges running NW-SE in the field outside the site to NE. Monument is visible today as an oval-shaped, partially tree-lined earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 09 January 2019

• WM018-007 Building
  Description

  Situated on the side of a large ridge running NW-SE, in pasture, with extensive views to N, E and S, overlooked by slightly higher ground to W. A possible ringwork (WM018-006----) lies c. 100m to NW. No antiquity depicted at this location on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map or the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map. Described in 1980 as the remains of a rectangular structure (dims. 15m NW-SE; 8.5m NE-SW) defined by a low mound of earth covered stones assumed to form the NW wall and a low scarp with abundant stone defining the SE end. There is no indication of the line of the NE or SW walls. Just to the NW of the presumed NW wall of the structure there is a short stretch of a low, recently disturbed, stony scarp. The corner of another similar scarp forms an angle to SE of the possible structure. Old cultivation ridges running roughly NW-SE cross the scarp & cover the area to NE and E of the structure. Other similar ridges running roughly NE-SW are just outside the scarp at SE. The exact nature of this site is uncertain. The possible structure/building was provisionally interpreted as a castle site with the outer scarps representing the remains of a possible bawn wall. Monument is not clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 11 January 2019

Architectural heritage

• Outbuilding, 1800–1840 · Regional interest
  Description

  Detached multi-bay two-storey agricultural building with integrated two-bay two-storey dwelling to northeast side, built c.1820. Now out of use and derelict. Pitched natural slate roof with single rendered (brick) chimneystack to northeast end associated with former dwelling house. Constructed of rubble stone with brick dressings to openings and roughcast render over. West-facing elevation (road facing) is blank apart from square-headed window openings to dwelling house with remains of multi-pane metal-framed windows and square-headed doorcase with replacement timber sheeted door at north end to building. Numerous square-headed openings to east-facing façade with full-height segmental-headed carriage arch to centre. Located adjacent to small country road to the southeast of Ballynacarrigy and a south distance south of Balroe Bridge (15401108) and the Royal Canal. Low rubble limestone walls with gate piers on square plan and wrought-iron gates to rear (east).

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 Laragh with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Laragh

Area

592,983 m² (59.3 ha, 146.53 acres)

Civil parish

Kilmacnevan, and its townlands

Barony

Moygoish

Electoral division

Kilbixy, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Ballintue, Balroe, Calliaghstown, Rathmore

Placenames

Laragh 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.