GALLERY: Actor Patrick Bergin puts 'spectacular' Offaly castle on the market
Irish actor Patrick Bergin, who starred opposite Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy and as Aidan Maguire in popular soap EastEnders, has put his 'spectacular' Offaly home on the market for an asking price of €995,000.
Emmel Castle is referred to as "one of Offaly's most striking Historic Estates", featuring both a 15th-century tower house and a graceful 17th-century country house.
The home sits on 20 acres of private woodlands and gardens, in an area renowned for its scenic charm and historic depth, "deep within the tranquil beauty of the Irish Midlands".
Set in a region steeped in heritage and natural beauty, Emmel Castle offers an exceptional rural lifestyle. The area is ideal for country pursuits including equestrian activities, fishing, shooting, water sports, and hiking.
Local shops, traditional pubs, and live music venues, as well as historic attractions and walking trails are all at close proximity. Emmel Castle is located 10 mins from Cloughjordan, an hour and a half from Dublin, one hour from Galway and Shannon Airport.
The property is a Listed National Monument. First constructed around 1450 as a stronghold of the O'Carroll Clan, Emmel Castle once stood among 25 castles under O'Carroll ownership across the region.
In 1683, the elegant country house was added by “Long Anthony O'Carroll,” famously close to seven feet tall. Following the Cromwellian conquest, the estate was confiscated but later restored to the family during the monarchy's return, eventually leaving O'Carroll ownership in the 18th century.
From the battlements, rising 90 feet, panoramic views stretch across Offaly, Limerick, Clare, Galway, and Tipperary.
The Tower House features a circular stair turret, a pitched slate roof with castellated parapets and bartizanso Stone chimneystacks, a historic Great Hall, a music room, and an art studio.
Accomodation in this section of the property includes a master bedroom and a family bathroom, with all rooms featuring period fireplaces and latticed windows.
The Country House showcases a pitched slate roof, terracotta ridge tiles, rendered chimneystacks, timber sash windows with stucco surround, as well as round-headed and square-headed door openings with stained glass.
The living areas include a drawing room and living room with historic fireplace, a kitchen, a butler's pantry, and a laundry room. Accommodations consist two double bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
The property also features historic stone outbuildings with slate roofs, a walled garden to the south-west of the house, a courtyard accessed by wrought iron gates, and Stone and brick outbuilding dated 1883.