castles historical ireland

Nenagh Castle
Nenagh Castle was built by Theobold Walter, a nephew of Thomas a Becket, the martyr. It became a residence of the Butler family, until they moved to Gowran, Kilkenny in the 14th century. It fell into the hands of the MacIlbrien family, until 1533 when Sir Piers Butler returned to reclaim it. But in 1548, the O'Carroll with his supporters, burned it. The Butlers did eventually regain their position as owners, but the castle was given to Lady Dingwall.

It w...

This is a 15th or 16th century castle built by the Burnchurch branch of the FitzGerald family. It is 6 storeys high, and has an unusually large number of passages and chambers inside the walls. There is a 'secret chamber' off the 4th floor and a fireplace and round chimney (the latter possibly a later addition) on the top floor. A walled courtyard was originally attached to the castle, and of this the 41 foot high circular turret near the castle still remains. The castle was last occupied in...

The family home of the Earls of Belmore, Castle Coole is one of the treasures of the National Trust. A magnificent neo-classical house designed by James Wyatt, has remarkably fine interiors and exquisite furniture and furnishing from before 1830. A lavish Regency Saloon with gilded mirrors and marvellous inlaid woodwork is rivalled by a lavish state bedroom, hung with crimson silk, said to have been prepared for George IV.

Impressive halls, staircase, a dining room of splendour an...

Anglo-Norman motte-and-bailey earthwork castle with added stone tower. Fine views from top of the mound. Free access always. Clough village, at junction of A24 and A25....

This is a well-preserved four-storey tower with good fireplaces on the three upper floors. The two-and-three-mullioned windows, and the oval hole at the bottom of the stairs, were probably copied from Portumna Castle nearby, which had only recently been built.

The tower forms part of an L-shaped bawn with rounded turrets at opposite corners. On the corbels of the turret at the north-eastern corner of the tower is the inscription 'D': OM ME: FIERI: FECIT: 1643' which states that a man...

Derry Island Castle (17th Century) sited on the left bank down river, is visible. It is known locally as 'Ireton's Castle', but without any hard evidence that Cromwell's son-in-law General passed this way.

As you swing left for Birr there's an old windmill prominent on the hill above Bell Isle House....

Parkes Castle on the north-east shore of Lough Gill is a 17th century fortified manor house which houses an interpretative centre with an audio-visual show reflecting the many historic and prehistoric sites in the region. There is a tea-room, and guided tours are conducted during the summer months....

It is an L-shaped tower with a fine fireplace on the first floor and three-and-four-mullioned windows.
At a later stage the eastern portion with its finely moulded gate was added to form a bawn to the east of the tower.

It suffered much in the Rebellion of 1641, when it was taken from the O'Callaghans and granted to Sir Richard Kyrle, and later it was sold to Richard Newman of Cork.

It was restored after 1694 by Dillon Newman, after whose death it was used to garrison sold...

Dunboy Castle beside the remains of the older O'Sullivan Bere Castle, destroyed in a siege in 1602, stand the impressive ruins of a vast 19th century castle in a bewildering mixture of styles, including french chateaux and Italian villa.

The castle was built by the Puxley family, landlords until 1921, who made their fortune from the copper mines in Allihies.
Dunboy woods are open to the public with picnic areas and walks....

Within the grounds of the Servite Monastery in Benburb are the remains of one of the more dramatically sited of all inland monuments in Northern Ireland. Its cliff-site controlling the crossing of the River Blackwater had been fortified by Shane O'Neill during the course of the 16th century, but what remains on the site is a castle built after the defeat of Gaelic opposition, when the new planters were staking their claim to the lands which James I had granted to them. By building this castle...