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History —County South Offaly
Castles were built round about Banagher in the 15th century and the valuable grazing land and fishing rights were jealously protected ? and sometimes fought over - by the local warlords. The original stone bridge stood for five hundred years, before it was replaced by a wider one in the 1840s. New forts were built on both sides of the river in the 17th century and saw action in the Cromwellian and Williamite campaigns - Banagher was successfully defended by the Jacobites against King William?s troops until near the end of the war.
The strategic importance of Banagher continued to concern the authorities in the 19th century. They refurbished the fort on the right bank in 1803 and built the martello tower in 1811 ? both of them to protect the bridgehead from the French forces who never actually got that far. The plan of the village dates from the 17th century, but most of its houses were replaced in the 19th.
