placenamesSmarmore
Smearamair
A medieval tower, eighteenth-century house and stable courtyard reveal successive changes to the Taaffe family’s former seat.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Smearamair · Irish · main form · validated name
- Smarmore · English · main form
Place & story
A tower within an eighteenth-century house
Smarmore Castle preserves a medieval tower house within a much larger country residence. The national architectural inventory dates the tower to about 1320 and records substantial eighteenth-century wings, associated with the Taaffe family. Further changes about 1800 supplied battlements and pointed window surrounds. Classical sash-windowed elevations therefore coexist with an altered medieval core, making the building a record of successive approaches to comfortable residence and architectural display. [2]
The stable courtyard
Northwest of the house, stone buildings dating from about 1800 surround a square courtyard. Their slate roofs, brick detailing and different window types distinguish the service ranges from the main residence. Arched carriage entrances pierce the north and west ranges, and another entrance passes through the courtyard’s boundary wall. The survival of this planned group helps explain how the country house functioned, retaining a working setting beyond its principal rooms and façades. [2]
Conservation and a new use
The conservation architect’s account records the estate’s acquisition by Castlecraig Hospital in 2014 and its subsequent use as a rehabilitation centre. Fergal McGirl’s practice became involved in projects there from 2018, including masonry repairs, a chapel area and adaptation of part of the stable wing and walled garden for extended care. The reduced demesne also retains a yew avenue, an arboretum and a summerhouse, preserving features of its earlier designed landscape. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Smarmore. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Smarmore Castle, NIAH13901701 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Smarmore Castle: the re-use of a historic demesne · Fergal McGirl Conservation Architects
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-01-26. How this page was prepared.