The
folly was built just outside Castletown Estate (containing
Castletown House), which contains two follies, both commissioned by
Katherine Conolly, the philanthropic widow of Speaker
William Conolly. It was built at a cost of £400 to provide employment for the poor of Celbridge when the
famine of 1740–41 was at its worst. The
obelisk was built in 1740 after a particularly severe winter. As a folly, it could be seen from the back of Castletown some away and it is built exactly perpendicular to the centre of the house. It was intended to mark the rear entrance gateway to Castletown house in conjunction with an avenue leading to the house. The folly was built on land that was near to, but not on, the Conolly estate. It therefore belonged to neighbouring
Carton, the home of the Fitzgerald family,
Dukes of Leinster. Designed by
Richard Castle, it is 42 metres (140 feet) high and is composed of several
arches, adorned by stone pineapples and eagles, topped by a massive obelisk pillar. It was restored between 1962 and 1965 by the
Irish Georgian Society (IGS), in what was the society's first major restoration project. The folly, on its 5 acres of woodland, was acquired by the IGS in 1968 thanks to American donor Rose Saul Zalles. The grave of the co-founder of the society,
Mariga Guinness (1932–1989), is located at the folly. The site, which is designated as a "
national monument in state ownership", is now in the care of the
Office of Public Works (OPW). The OPW has erected modern fencing to protect the structure by preventing direct public access. ==Spelling==