Charleville Castle is located in the centre of Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the Shannon River. The castle is situated in Ireland’s most ancient primordial oak woods, once the haunting grounds of Ireland’s druids. In the sixth century it was part of the ancient monastic site of Lynally, which itself was in the ancient Durrow monastic settlement.

Later times, in the early days of Irelands colonization, when the city of Dublin felt threatened by the wild tribes of the West, these lands became the focal point for the first Stuart, and later more violent Elizabethan, plantations.

By the mid-fifteen hundreds, the Moore’s were securely "planted". From this point on a dynasty was established which endured into the late nineteenth century.

Chareville Castle grew from paper doodles in early 1798 to grandiose plans by the end of that very eventful year in Ireland. It owes its "Tin Soldier Fortress" look to the celebration of victory over the third French revolutionary expedition to Ireland - the first decisive victory by Britain (Cornwallis in fact) over the revolutionary republican movement, which was sweeping across the monarchies and their colonies at that time. It took fourteen long years to complete this great gothic dream, a monument not only to a now forgotten power, but also to the people who made it possible, the Irish craftsmen and impoverished people. It is today Ireland's most important example of gothic revival architecture - the leader of the Francis Johnston School of Architecture - his masterpiece. Its restoration is now on-going.

The castle remained uninhabited from 1912, during the difficult years of the independence war, and the long years of economic severity which followed. By 1968 the roof had been removed. It had become a part of "Vanishing Ireland" until finally work on its restoration was commenced by Michael McMullen in 1971 and later by Constance Heavey Seaquist and Bonnie Vance. A Charitable Trust has been formed to help with the restoration and today it has become the meeting place for people from all walks of life and different places. Stories long and short abound and mysterious happenings fill the fire-lit evenings. But the issues raised and addressed often go to the heart of what really matters - things left untouched in the hustle and bustle of the modern world. It has become a place of vision - surely, an inheritance from its original inception.