Feltrim

Richard Fagan’s Feltrim estate. A place of refuge, rebellion, and restless spirits. Feltrim Hill stands as a silent witness to centuries of Fagan family history. Feltrim was once a powerful symbol of their influence, a “Ten Pound Castle” built in 1429. The Fagans of Feltrim were known for their hospitality, even to their enemies. Sir Christopher Fagan, for instance, famously allowed Gerald, the Earl of Desmond, to escape his custody in 1574. Although Desmond was a prisoner on parole, entrusted to Fagan by Queen Elizabeth herself, Christopher chose hospitality over his duty. This act of kindness had dramatic consequences. Desmond’s escape fueled a rebellion that ultimately led to his demise. Years later, fleeing the disastrous Battle of the Boyne, King James II found refuge at Feltrim with Richard Fagan. The very stones of Feltrim seemed to whisper tales of these pivotal moments in Irish history. But the Fagans’ fortunes, like so many others, eventually waned. By the mid-18th century, their castle lay in ruins. Yet, traces of their presence lingered. Fagan’s Well, despite the passage of time, still survives. And if you listen closely, you might hear whispers of the ghostly horse, the black dog with fiery eyes, and the old hag with her bundle of sticks, forever wandering towards the holy well. Feltrim Hill also boasts another fascinating, if now vanished, landmark. The Feltrim Windmill. Constructed in 1668 by Dutch craftsmen using distinctive red bricks imported from Holland, it initially served as a woolen mill. Later repurposed as a corn mill, it even had a stint as a semaphore tower, relaying messages between Dublin and Belfast. Tragically, in 1973, this iconic structure, a proud sentinel on the Feltrim skyline for centuries, was demolished. Its absence is a stark reminder of the fragility of history. The bricks scattered beneath the hill, perhaps still echoing the chains that brought it down, are all that remain of this once-proud mill.