castles historical ireland

Situated on an outcrop of rock ('The Fairy Rock'), this is a 16th century tower of 4 storeys below a vaulted roof. There are turrets on opposing corners at the top.

It was built by the MacCarthys of Drishane, and Teig MacCarthy retired here after the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, but O'Sullivan Bere attacked and sacked the castle shortly afterwards.
There is also a stone circle two fields to the eat of the castle....

In the midst of a beautiful 700 acre estate on the shores of Strangford Lough, seven miles east of Downpatrick, stands Castle Ward - an 18th century "architectrual wonder"....

A smaller, but older, medieval tower house than Ardee Castle. It was given by Cromwell to the Hatch family. It is still used as a residence and contains two eighteenth century cannons at its entrance....

One of a series of five fortifications, it was originally owned by the O'Kynes but eventually passed from one Sir Richard O'Donnell to Sir Benjamin Guinness, and thus became part of the great Guinness estates.

Architecturally, this castle has some interesting doorways. One enters this castle by entering the demesne via the Red Gate which is 1.5km east of Clonbur village....

the castle was probably begun by Gerald Fitzgerald, Baron of Offaly, in 1203. the main tower, one of the largest of its kind, was built in three successive phases, but the vaults on the ground floor were added probably long after the rest of the tower had been completed. The inside of the tower was divided into two main rooms for each floor, as at Trim, Co. Meath, and the walls are preserved almost to the top where fragments of the original turret at the northeastern angle can still be seen....

The world renowned Blarney Castle and the legendary Blarney Stone can be found in the charming village of Blarney, just 7km north of Cork city in County Cork.

Built nearly 1000 years ago for the McCarthy Clan, Blarney Castle remains one of Ireland's oldest castles. Blarney Castle and the world famous Blarney Stone should not be missed by anyone visiting the South West of Ireland.


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Family seat of the O'Neills at Clanaboy. The Demesne and nature reserve is one of the most beautiful and well maintained in Ireland. Bookings by appointment....

Probably built by Richard de Burgo in 1300, this was possibly the strongest castle in Connacht. The castle was probably captured by the O'Conors in 1317, but was taken from them in the course of local struggles by Mac Diarmada in 1347. By 1381 it had passed to the MacDonaghs. Although attached to Tadhg MacDiarmada in 1561, it had apparently passed to O'Conor Sligo by 1571, at which time he surrendered the castle and had it regranted to him by the English. In 1577 the castle fell into English...

The castle was built around 1200 as an Episcopal manor. It is 5-sided, enclosing a courtyard of considerable size.
It is entered by a strong gateway with a porter's room on the left, and on the right a priest's room with remains of mid-13th century windows and a first floor reached by a spiral staircase.

Beyond it is a chapel of fourteenth-century date, with parts of an original tiled floor; its windows have been built up. The tower at the north end of the wall was the residence...

Castle: This Norman castle may have been built on an earlier ringfort by the main bridge across the Maigue or it may be contemporary. The square tower is of the castle is surrounded by a rampart with battlements To the south a drawbridge crosses the fort’s ditch. Surrounding this ditch is a further wall. Two gates offered access through it, the obviously more strategic south one protected by two towers.

Franciscan Friary: Now surrounded by the Adare Manor golf course, this friary was...