Sadness at death in England of former leaseholder of famous castle in Offaly

The death has taken place in England of Michael McMullen, who had long-standing connections with Ireland and county Offaly.

The late Mr McMullen commenced restoration work on Charleville Castle, outside Tullamore, in 1971.

He was a well-known and colourful character around Tullamore and the Midlands at the time.

After his lease ended Mr McMullen continued to visit Ireland regularly and was well-known in the antiques trade.

He passed away at the Countess of Chester Hospital on Wednesday, January 1, aged 82 years.

His funeral will take place on Tuesday next, March 11, at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church, Cheyney Road, Chester, followed by Committal at Chester Crematorium.

In an online tribute, his friend David Davies writes:

"Michael will be sadly missed by his family, friends and all at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church.

Michael McMullen was a cultured man with an almost Victorian/ Edwardian approach to life. I met him as we were both members of the congregation at St Thomas’ Church in Chester.

He had a small group of family and friends who he appreciated greatly. He was very proud of his brothers David and James and their scholarly achievements in Cambridge and Oxford.

He had a wealth of stories about his time working overseas. One example being his time as a copy writer in New Zealand in the 1960s.

Later in life he had taken on a gothic style castle in Tullamore, Republic of Ireland and undertook extensive restoration work of the site which dated back to the 17th century.

Charleville Castle has been used for movie location work (Northanger Abbey, Becoming Jane etc) and is a noted Irish building.

Michael moved to Chester in the 1980/90s. He travelled frequently to Ireland to attend to business matters. He was determined in his business affairs and would pursue matters in a single minded way. He is the only man I know who has taken a country (Ireland) to an international court (ECHR).

He had a great knowledge of antiques and would take a keen interest in auctions and the general antiques’ market.

Whilst I knew him he lived a fiercely independent life. He often put me to shame in his ability to travel to Ireland or in this country despite his increasing mobility issues.

He was the last man I knew to wear a fedora as an everyday hat rather than an affectation.

I will miss him."