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Portlick Castle, Westmeath, Ireland, + 353 (0)9064 85955
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Portlick Castle is the only Medieval castle in Ireland which has been used perpetually as a residence.

The Norman family of De Lion (later called Dillon), under the charter of King John, built Portlick Castle in 1185. The family were devout Catholics who fought in the Irish rebellion. Although banished for a time to Connacht by Cromwell, they did not leave their home for good until 1696.

The Dillions had been supporters of King James during the Jacobian and Williamite wars, so the new monarch, King William, decided to grant the property to someone more loyal to himself, a privy councillor of Ireland named Thomas Keightly.

Keightly promptly sold his new home to William Palmer of Dublin. The price tag was £365, £1 for every acre on which the castle was situated. Seven years later in 1703 Palmer then sold the castle to the Rev. Robert Smyth for £885.

The Smyths like the Dillions before them were long-term and colourful owners, although as early as 1782, their reign there looked destined to have come to an end. The Rev. Robert Smyth's son, Ralph, had just died and it was generally assumed that as a bachelor he had no heirs. Jane Rogerson, Ralph's sister, prepared to take over the castle. As was to be expected, distant relatives emerged and began to lay claim to Portlick, insisting that they were the true and rightful heirs. The future ownership of the castle was decided, however, when a local woman came forward. Maggie Gerrily presented her son, Robert, as Ralph's secret child and heir. A local clergyman confirmed the story and the Smyth name was secured in Portlick once more.

In 1812 the grand-daughter of the second Robert Smyth, Frideswide Smyth, began courting a young navel officer by the name of Richard Brydges Beechey. Beechey was at the time assisting in the preparation of the Admiralty Chart of Lough Ree. It is because of this relationship it is said that the Bay at Portlick received a lot more attention in this report than other areas. The pair later married and their son, RB Beechley, became known as one of Ireland's top three marine painters.
A large part of the castle was gutted by fire in 1861, which destroyed much of the Smyth family treasures including portraits and furnishings.

The last Smyth in Portlick was Harriet, a great great grand-daughter of the second Robert Smyth. Her stepson was killed in World War II and her husband, Norman Wallard Simpson, died in 1955.
In its near 1000 year history, Portlick Castle has witnessed civil war, family disputes, devastating fire and the natural ravages of time but, despite these, it is still as impressive and as well preserved as ever. Now no longer a family seat, the story of Portlick Castle enters a new phase as a country retreat, a deserved escape from everyday hassle and a chance to experience life, as it should be, luxuriously.