Ogilby's Castle

Ogilby's Castle, also known as Altnacree or Altinaghree Castle or Liscloon House, lies on farmland between the villages of Dunnamanagh and Ballyneaner, south of the town of Londonderry, in County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland.

I couldn't find conclusive evidence of when Ogilby's Castle was built. Several sources mention 1860 as its year of construction, others mention 1850. It was however a very modern castle for the period, constructed entirely of Irish cut stone and surrounded by a wall of the same material. The stone was transported by horse and cart from Dungiven. When finished Ogilby's Castle was vast and beautiful lavishly furnished and with a banquet room that was reported to be unequaled throughout Tyrone, boasting among its guests Bishops and politicians from London, Dublin and Belfast.

Ogilby's Castle would have been the dwelling of James Douglas Ogilby, had he not rebelled against his family by falling in love with a seamstress working in a factory; Mary Jane Jamieson. After he was denied marriage by his parents, who saw Mary as being below his station in life, James disappeared for seven years, only returning to elope with his love, whom he married in 1884. After that they moved to Australia where he became a famous ichthyologist.

Why and when the castle was abandoned I don't know, although one source states that the castle was only lived in for 30 years.

When I visited it was already dusk and night was quickly falling in. So there wasn't really so much light as seen on most of the pictures but this is because of the light sensitivity of my digital camera. This is also the reason why not all the pictures are as sharp as they should be.

So, although this isn't really a medieval castle it is one of my favorites because of the spooky atmosphere. The ruin of Ogilby's Castle is on private farmland and can not be visited but it can be seen clearly from the public road.

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