Castle Forbes

Newtownforbes, County Longford

Built in 1826, for George Forbes (1760-1837), 6th Earl of Granard. It replaced a 17th century mansion that cost a thousand pounds to build and withstood a siege in 1641 but was eventually lost to fire in 1825. The new castle suffered another fire in 1923 and the American 8th Countess of Granard paid for its repair and renovation....

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The 1,200-acre estate on the River Shannon three miles from Longford was granted to Sir Arthur Forbes by King James I in 1619 with the privileges of a weekly market and an annual fair. It remains in the possession of the Forbes family and since 1994 has been occupied for part of every year by Lady Georgina Forbes (b.1952), daughter of the 9th Earl, who divides her time between here and France.