Former American ballerina 'fell in love' with castle in Offaly which is now up for sale

Clonony Castle, which is now up for sale, has been lived in for a decade by former American ballerina Rebecca Armstrong, who invested a great deal of time and effort in restoring the premises.

Rebecca said that when she set eyes on the ruined 15th century Castle, it was love at first sight.

"I just stumbled upon this place one day. I used to take people to Clonmacnoise and I drove by one day and there was a for sale sign outside. I took one look inside and I thought, I have to have this.

"I bought it in 2002 and it took about 10 years to restore it: five years doing paper work and five years hard labour. I did most of the work myself. It did not cost me much at all, except my time. When I was doing the vaulted ceiling I spent an entire summer on my back on the scaffolding fixing it one inch at a time using putty and rubble.”

Clonony was constructed by the MacCoughlan Clan in the 1490s. The building was untouched during the Cromwellian wars thus avoiding the unfortunate fate of many castles during that dark time.

IN PICTURES: A historic castle in Offaly that's over 500 years old is now up for sale

Over the subsequent centuries it fell into total disrepair. In the 19th century, it was converted to a gothic revival residence by Edmond Maloney, who was a wealthy barrister from Birr.

It soon fell into decline again and for most of the 20th century it was in a state of dereliction.

During Rebecca's time the castle hosted everything from music events to weddings and small functions and was sometimes very busy with visitors.

Rebecca is the widow of the famous Scottish novelist Campbell Armstrong, who passed away in 2013.

Like many Irish castles Clonony has its very own ghost, a tall, thin figure in old-fashioned clothes who hangs around the top of the tower enveloped in mist.

Located on the road between Cloghan and Shannonbridge, Clonony is on the market for an undisclosed sum on Daft.ie.

It's being advertised as a three-bed, two-bathroom, “detached” property. Standing at roughly 15 metres, the castle is surrounded by a bawn wall with a formal entrance, and a number of smaller towers, with the remains of an old church at one corner. The castle is three storeys high.