Situated to he north of the town of Ballymore Eustace is
Barretstown Castle. The core of the castle is a old Eustace
Tower house of the pale. The Eustace were one of the most
distinguished of the names which came to Ireland at the time
of the Angol-Norman invasion. While not multiplying to the
same extent as the Burkes, Butlers, Fitzgeralds or other great
Hiberno Norman families, the Eustaces were numerous enough to be
classed in Petty's "census" of 1659 among the principle Irish names
in four baronies of Kildare.
The town of Ballymore Eustace was named after the Eustaces.