Built 1425, ruin since Cromwell
Cullohill Castle
The castle was built around 1425 by Finghin MacGillapatrick, principal stronghold of the MacGillapatricks of Upper Ossory. It survived repeated attacks by crown forces from Kilkenny (one in 1441, another in 1517). The decisive blow came during the Cromwellian Wars — cannon fire destroyed the north wall completely. By the Down Survey of 1657 it was recorded as "out of repaire". What stands now is a five-storey limestone tower on the east and south sides, with a history written in stone.
A kitchen that became famous
O'Connells and Ballymaloe
The pub has been in the O'Connell family since 1916 — or earlier, depending on who you ask; some say 1917. What matters is that the late Elizabeth O'Connell ran the kitchen here, raising her children Darina and Rory — later the founders of Ballymaloe House and the Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Ireland's most celebrated food institutions. The pub closed during the pandemic. It's now being revived as a gastro-pub with rooms — the next chapter of a food story that started in a family kitchen in Cullohill.
Between Portlaoise and Cashel
The valley and the pass
The village sits on the old Dublin to Cork road, now the N8, at the foot of the Slieve Bloom foothills. It is a pass-through place — literally. Traffic moves on. Those who linger do so for the castle, the pub, or the quiet of the hills beyond.