Mosstown Dovecote or Pigeon House

Mosstown Dovecote or Pigeon House is located off the main road from Longford, just outside the village of Kenagh, is a most unusual feature – the dovecote or pigeon house associated with the former Mosstown House. This octagonal, three-storey structure dates from about 1750, when Mosstown was owned by the Newcomen family. Dovecotes ensured a supply of eggs and meat to their associated houses and were quite common in the 1600s and 1700s, but not so in later years.

Mosstown House was leased by Sir William G. Newcomen to Alexander Kingston in 1791, and Kingston’s descendants continued to occupy the demesne for over 150 years. Kingston built a mill near the house in the mid-1790s and it operated until its destruction by fire in 1912. Mosstown House, which had been vacant for some years, was demolished in1962. Both the mill ruin and the walled garden beside the site of the house can still be seen.

The dovecote is on private property and is not accessible to the general public. However, it is visible from the R397 (Longford – Kenagh road), and from the laneway accessed through the ‘White Gates’ ,with their distinctive eagle finials, which leads to the old Mosstown demesne and mill.