The remains of Rattin Castle, County Westmeath, a substantial four-storey tower house that was built in the 15th or 16th centuries. During this period the land on which it stands, formerly under the control of Hugh de Lacy, was in the possession of the d’Arcy family. The last member, Nicholas d’Arcy, forfeited the castle in the 1640s during the Confederate Wars and it seems to have fallen into ruin after that: a source from that period claimed the building originally had several towers and no less than 500 rooms.
So what happens to a site like this – is the building just left to deteriorate until it crumbles into nothing?
There are thousands of such tower houses all across the country and most of them have survived for centuries, so while a certain amount of deterioration is inevitable, they are fairly sturdy and ought to last a while longer yet…