Old Athlone Society to hold lecture on the 'Lost Houses of Westmeath'

Former President of the Old Athlone Society and member of Irish Georgian Society Donal O'Brien will give an interesting lecture on the 'Lost Houses of Westmeath' later this week.

Hosted by the Old Athlone Society, the event will take place this Thursday, March 28 at 8.15pm in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.

The lecture will consist of a talk with slides about a number of the houses that disappeared in Westmeath mostly during the 20th century, including the seven that were burnt during the War of Independence and Civil War, such as Moydrum Castle and Sonna House. The others were demolished or abandoned in the decades following. The 1950s was a particularly bad time as the government introduced rates on all buildings apart from churches: the beautiful Tudenham House, near Mullingar, was unroofed during this period.

The talk will end with a happy example as one large castle (Killua) has been brought back from ruin following a magnificent restoration.

Mr O'Brien has written a number of publications including: 'Athlone, a Visitors Guide' (2003), 'The Houses and Landed Families of Westmeath' (2014), 'Streets of Athlone' (2020), and 'Memorable Houses of Dublin' (a work in progress).

For more information visit athlonehistory.ie.