The tower
Moylurg Tower is six storeys of bare concrete standing on the exact foundations of Rockingham House, the Regency mansion that burned down in 1957. Bord Fáilte commissioned it in 1971 from the modernist architect James ‘Jim’ Fehily, and the brief was contrast, not camouflage – a brutalist marker rising about 45 metres above the native woods of Lough Key Forest Park, just outside Boyle in County Roscommon. When it opened in 1973, some locals called it a monstrosity. Opinion has softened since, and the top deck does most of the persuading: on a clear day the view takes in all 32 islands on Lough Key, 350 hectares of forest canopy, the Curlew hills and the ruin of MacDermott’s Castle on its island near the western shore.
One thing to know before you pay in: the lift is out of service, so the viewing platform is stairs only for now.
The Rockingham tunnels
The mansion the tower replaced was serious work. Viscount Lorton hired the London architect John Nash, and the house finished around 1810 came with a domed façade, an Ionic colonnade and two 300-metre barrel-vaulted service tunnels – one running down to the lake so suppliers could deliver goods without crossing the lawns, the other linking the house to the stables and servants’ quarters. The house survived a fire in 1863. A second, in September 1957, finished it, and the State later acquired the grounds and cleared the masonry.
The tunnels survived. You can still walk them – cool, dry passages with panels explaining how staff moved china, food and household goods out of sight of the family above.
The canopy walk
Linking the estate ruins to the base of the tower is a 300-metre timber-and-steel walkway about nine metres above the forest floor – Ireland’s first tree-canopy walk. The woods below hold red squirrels, badgers and plenty of songbirds; early morning is the best bet for both wildlife and quiet.
Planning a visit
The self-guided ‘Rockingham Remembered’ route ties together tunnels, canopy walk and tower climb in about 45 minutes at an easy pace. Adults pay €10 (€8 reduced), seniors and students €8, children aged 5–17 €5, under-5s free, and a family ticket is €25. The route is wheelchair and buggy friendly apart from the tower stairs. Visitor centre, café, toilets and parking are near the park entrance, and the tunnel floors and walkway get slippery after rain – wear proper shoes.
The tower has turned out to be a decent stage as well as a lookout: it held the Before the Last Sun Sets installation in 2019 and is the centrepiece of the Night and Day festival, usually late May or early June, when the concrete becomes a screen for light projections, live music and DJ sets. Book ahead for festival weekends; on ordinary days, arriving before midday beats the tour groups. If you want the older history done properly afterwards, the 12th-century Boyle Abbey and King House are a short drive away in Boyle.