Roughan Castle

Roughan Castle is a castle a mile outside Newmills, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the Dungannon to Stewartstown road. It was built about 1618 by Sir Andrew Stewart (d.1639), 2nd Lord Castlestewart, eldest son of Andrew Stewart (1580-1629) the third Lord Ochiltree, 1st Lord Castlestewart who came from Scotland during the plantation and established the nearby town of Stewartstown. Andrew Stewart junior acquired the land of Ballokevan from Robert Stewart between 1610 and 1619 and built his castle overlooking Roughan Lough. It is a small square castle, three storeys high with a central tower 20 feet (6.1 m) square, flanked by thick rounded towers at each corner.

The castle was once the refuge of Phelim O’Neill, leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Ulster. He was captured there in 1653 and taken to Dublin, where he was hanged for treason. Robert Stewart, of Irry inherited the castle from his brothers and died here in 1662.

Roughan Castle is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Roughan, in Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council area, at grid ref: H8231 6830.