American couple invests €2m to restore ancestral home of Art Ó Laoghaire in the Lee Valley

Shawn O'Leary and Tom Carlson with Morgan and John Carlson, Sophie Ellis and project manager Ella Goddin at Carrignacurra Castle, Inchigeela, Cork. The castle is the last known standing castle of the O'Leary clan and the American family are undertaking a reconstuction project. Picture: Denis Boyle

An American woman and her husband are set to pour their hearts, and up to €2m, into the restoration of the last known standing castle of her O’Leary clan ancestors in the Lee Valley.

Airline pilots Shawn and Tom Carlson unveiled the ambitious vision for medieval Carrignacurra Castle, a landmark protected structure on the banks of the Lee near Inchigeela in Co Cork yesterday, as they marked American Independence Day and the official start of major construction on the site.