Walter Butler of Roscrea
Walter Butler of Ballinakill Castle, Roscrea (c. 1600 – 25 December 1634) was a military officer, who served as a colonel (Oberst) in the Imperial Army under Albrecht von Wallenstein and was involved in Wallenstein's assassination in 1634.
Walter Butler was a descendant of the Butler family – the Earls of Ormond. He was the son of Peter Butler of Roscrea.[1] The "Roscrea" cadet branch of the family is in turn descended from the "Polestown" cadet branch.
Ballinakill Castle[edit]
Ballinakill Castle lies between Roscrea and Dunkerrin. The ruins can now be seen on the main Dublin-Limerick road (N7) about six kilometers on the Nenagh side of Roscrea. It is more of a fortified house than a true castle, similar to Cloncourse Castle. The exact date of the fortification is uncertain but is no earlier than 1580 when Pierce Butler of Paulstown bought land there. The three-story fortified house has long been gutted and only the shell remains of this large building. What is most impressive about the site however, is not the house but the impressive bawn around it. A bawn is very similar to the curtain walls of a castle. The bawn at Ballinakill is still one of the finest in the country.[2] The castle was acquired by Sir Richard Stephens, who sold it in 1680 to a former Cromwellian soldier, Col. Charles Minchin. His descendants, two of whom were High Sheriffs of Tipperary, added a house at the southern end. Humphrey Minchin moved to England in 1760.