castles historical ireland

The well preserved tower and bawn in the town is the Butler Castle. In the 16th century the castle was the principal seat of this vibrant Norman-Irish family of far ranging and far reaching connections. The 3rd Viscount was President of the Supreme Council of the Confederation of Kilkenny. The castle remained in Butler possession until 1788 when it passed to the MacMurrough Kavanaghs of Borris Castle.

During the rebellion of 1798 it was utilised as a British army base. The Archbisho...

A castle probably erected by John Rosseter who was made Seneschal of the Liberties of Wexford in 1451, and whose family remained Catholics although they recognised Henry VIII in the 16th century. The tower stands in the south-eastern corner of a well-preserved bawn. The tower is five storeys high, and has battlements which are typical of the 15th and 16th centuries in Ireland.

The bawn wall is about 4 feet thick and 24 feet high, with a round turret at the north-eastern corner and a l...

Nothing is known about the early history of the island, but in 1220 the Cistercians from Knockmoy, Co. Galway (q.v.) established a cell here. The 'Abbey' church consists of a nave and chancel as well as a sacristy. There were other buildings to the north of the church, but these have vanished. The church does not appear to date from the period of foundation, but from about 1500. The most unusual feature of the church are the paintings in the chancel, which are some of the very few medieval...

A castle probably built by Sir Thomas Norreys who died in 1599. It is a long rectangular building with polygonal turrets (one incorporating a staircase) at the corners of the north wall. Wings project from the centre of the north and south walls, the northern one containing the entrance with a finely moulded doorway.

The windows are mullioned and have holes for muskets below them. The castle was besieged by Mountgarrett in 1642, but Jephson (who had married Sir Thomas Norrey's only da...

Dunseverick Castle is now only one massive wall on the very edge of a cliff. Dunserverick was the north end of the oldest road in Ireland, where the Celts in prehistoric times crossed to and from Scotland....

Ross Castle is located at the Edge of Lough Leane in Killarney National Park, just outside Killarney town in County Kerry. The castle is a typical example of the stronghold of an Irish Chieftain during the Middle Ages. The date of its foundation is unsure but it was probably built in the late 15th century by one of the O'Donoghue Ross Chieftains.
You can take a boat trip from the lake shore at the Castle out onto the Killarney lakes, where you are guaranteed to see some of the most breat...

This is one of the few castles in Ireland which is round. It was built by the Purcells in the 16th century. The walls splay at the bottom. Of the two ceilings which are preserved, one is a flat corbelled ceiling, the other is vaulted. The castle has 5 storeys, turrets, a broken fireplace in the 3rd storey, a 'murder hole' above the door to drop things on unwelcome intruders, and a small hole for muskets at one window....

Domestic quarters were added on over the following centuries, giving us today a Most attractive architectural composition. Now lovingly restored in a superb parkland setting, its owners delight in sharing their private home with visitors....

Kinsale can easily claim its place amongst Ireland's most historic locations for this has been a centre of population, commerce, trade and fishing far beyond memory and record.

In its earliest days the estuary of the Bandon River gave it great importance as the river is tidal as far as Innishannon and water transport was dominant until the 18th Century.
The estuary also provided excellent anchorage for ancient shipping which went in peril of the vagaries of the weather.

T...

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...