Ballyragget Castle

Ballyragget, Ireland, Ireland

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Ballyragget Castle is a large late medieval tower house located beside the River Nore in County Kilkenny. Built in the late 15th century, it became the principal seat of the Butler family’s Mountgarret branch and played an important role in the political and military history of the region. The castle is a five-storey structure surrounded by a defensive bawn wall and was traditionally associated with the powerful Margaret Fitzgerald, Countess of Ormond. A stone seat at the top of the castle, known as “Margaret’s Chair” or the “Wishing Chair,” is linked to local legends about her leadership and influence. Over the centuries, Ballyragget Castle served as a garrison, a defensive stronghold, and the residence of generations of the Butler family. Although now partly ruined, it remains one of County Kilkenny’s most impressive tower houses and a prominent symbol of the area’s rich medieval heritage.