Geashill
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Geashill Géisill
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| Town | |
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 Geashill
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| Coordinates: 53°14′12″N 7°18′53″W / 53.2368°N 7.3147°WCoordinates: 53°14′12″N 7°18′53″W / 53.2368°N 7.3147°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Offaly |
| Elevation | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 328 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N450206 |
Geashill /ˈɡiːʃəl/ (Irish: Géisill) is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated between the towns of Tullamore and Portarlington on the R420 regional road. Geashill has a Church of Ireland church, a shop, a petrol station, post office, primary (national) school, a Gaelic Athletic Association and two pubs, (Carruther's, the third pub, closed in September 2011).
The name Geashill is an anglicisation of the Irish name Géisill. Older anglicisations include Geashil, Geshill, Geshell, Geisshell and Gessill.
An Anglo-Norman settlement was built here between 1185 and 1204 by the first Baron of Offaly, Gerald Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, an ancestor of the Earls of Kildare. Originally of motte-and-bailey design, it was a timber castle on an earthen mound, nearby were located the church and tenant dwellings. In the 15th century the wooded fortress was replaced by a stone tower house. Today, only the west wall of the castle remains.
In 1598, Lettice Fitzgerald, daughter and heir of Gerald, the Lord Offaly of the time, married a Robert Digby of Coleshill, Warwickshire, who was brother of the 1st Earl of Bristol and whose son was created Ist Baron Digby of Geashill in 1620.
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