castles historical ireland

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....

Lynch’s Castle was once the home to the most powerful family in Galway. This incredible limestone building is a fine example of an Irish gothic style. The Lynch Family’s Coat of Arms can still be seen today, as can other proprietors of the house Henry and the Fitzgerald’s of Kildare.
Situated between Shop Street and Abbeygate Street, this castle gives us a rare glimpse of old Galway....

A landmark dominating land and sea which has for centuries been the gateway to Northern Ireland....

One of the few examples of a type of haled castle used in the 13th and 14th centuries, this castle was probably built by the Archbolds in the 13th century. Although rather ruined, sufficient remains to show that the ground floor was roofed by a continuous barrel vault, and imprints of the original plank shuttering can still be seen. The upper storey was divided into a number of rooms with large or small windows....

Ballindooley Castle, on the Headford road out from Galway, has been fully restored to its former glory....

Running through the western end of the estate is the River Maine, a substantial river, a large part of which can be waded. Chest waders are recommended and a stout wading staff is needed. The river provides nearly 3 miles of unique angling in more attractive surroundings.

Access:
This shall be by the Grand Entrance or White gates, off the Randalstown/Antrim Road. Drivers are requested to keep their cars parked on the hard road where possible.

A stocking progra...

This area has strong connections with the Anglo-Norman Agnew family, and the cemetery has many stones of early families associated with the castle and surrounding areas....

Of the three castles which one guarded the port, this was probably the one originally named Coraine. It is a four-storey tower, scarcely earlier than the 16th century, with gun-loops on the ground floor.

It is thought to have been built by the Bissets, and is located close to where Edward Bruce is believed to have landed in 1315....

Shanes Castle, the family seat of the O'Neills of Clanaboy, is magnificently situated at the North East corner of Lough Neagh with commanding views over the length and breadth of the Lough. Although the castle has been in ruins since the fire of 1816, the remaining structure including a unique Camellia House is a substantial feature in the landscape.

There has been a Feral herd of fallow deer at Shanes Castle for many years. Shanes Castle Demesne is one of the most beautiful and well...

Carrickfergus Castle the finest best preserved Norman castle in Ireland, dominates the town. John de Courcy, first Earl of Ulster, built the castle in the late 12th century, and for five centuries thereafter it was the seat of English power in the North. After serving as a prison in the 18th century, the castle was used as a magazine and armoury until 1928. Today life-like models depict stirring events in its 800-year history.

De Courcy also built the parish church of St. Nicholas,...