Roughan Castle



Roughan Castle is located about a mile outside Newmills in the south-east of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, on the Dungannon to Stewartstown road. It was built around 1618 by Andrew Stewart (1590-1639), who was later, in 1628, created a baronet and who, later still, succeeded as The 2nd Baron Castle Stuart, in 1629. He was the eldest son of The 1st Baron Castle Stuart (formerly The 3rd Lord Ochiltree; 1560-1629). Both the 1st and 2nd Barons Castle Stuart had come from Scotland during the Plantation of Ulster and established the nearby town of Stewartstown. Andrew Stewart (later 2nd Baron Castle Stuart) acquired the land of Ballokevan from Robert Stewart between 1610 and 1619 and built his castle overlooking Roughan Lough. It is a small square castle, three storeys high with a central tower 20 ft square, flanked by thick rounded towers at each corner.

The castle was once the refuge of Sir Féilim Ó Néill, leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Ulster. He was captured there in 1653 and taken to Dublin, where he was hanged for treason. Colonel Robert Stewart, of Irry, inherited the castle from his brothers and died here in 1662.

Roughan Castle is a scheduled monument (or State Care Historic Monument) in the townland of Roughan, in the former Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council area, at grid ref: H8231 6830.