castles historical ireland

It is square in plan, but has an L-shaped addition to guard the entrance. Access is gained directly to the ground floor, and a stairway leads up immediately to the main first-floor chamber, which is defended by a murder hole in the vault above. Access to the upper floors was gained by a spiral staircase within the walls. The tower was probably built by a member of the Savage family in the 16th century, and in 1635 Patrick Savage's brother-in-law, Sir James Montgomery of Rosemount, repaired t...

A rectangular castle with a barrel vault at the top of the third storey. There is a well-preserved fireplace in the second storey, and a turret stair leading to the roof. The castle is alleged to have been built in the early 14th century, but it could well be later. The English and Brian O'Toole defeated the Fitzgeralds here in a battle in 1547. Two other castles are said to have existed in the neighbourhood, but nothing remains of these....

At the pier there are the remains of a MacMahon castle, captured in 1599 by the Earl of Thomond and given to his brother, Donal O'Brien, ancestor of the viscounts Clare of Clare's Dragons fame. (The Dragoons were part of the late 17th and 18th century Irish Brigade - composed of Irish exiles - in the French Army). When the property was confiscated after the Williamite wars, Carraigaholt Castle and part of the estate passed to the Burton family....

There was formerly an establishment of the Knights Templars here beside this peaceful inlet, but the present 5 storey castle is 15th century in date and probably has nothing to do with the Knights. The ground floor is vaulted and has a number of deep recesses, and the second floor is also vaulted.

There are also a number of recesses on the third storey; that on the east wall was once a chapel. On the same floor is now inaccessible prisoners' cell. An amount of 17th century pottery wa...

The original keep was 3 storeys high and was square in shape with stout three-quarter round towers at the corners, but only the eastern half still stands, with its two corner towers and the connecting wall. The entrance was through a door on the first floor of the north side. The topmost storey of the north-western tower dates back to the 15th-16th century.
Although the castle is only first mentioned in 1231, it was probably built by William the Marshall or by his son not long after...

A 14th/15th century castle on the shore of Galway Bay, it was originally the seat of the Blakes.
When the Blakes left Oranmore the house attached to the castle was demolished. The castle has since been re-roofed and made habitable....

King John's Castle was built between 1200 and 1210 and was repaired and extended many times in the following centuries. The visitor centre at the castle contains an imaginative historical exhibition which tells the story of the castle. Archaeological excavations have revealed Pre-Norman settlements and evidence from the traumatic siege of 1642.

The courtyard and castle display some of the trades and traditions of the 16th century with the aid of costumed characters. The castle offers pan...

The Scottish baronial style castle, now a conference centre was formerly the house of the Annesley family and overlooks the large central lake. The lake is stocked with brown and rainbow trout which can be fished from April to October. A licence is required. The lake is also used for canoeing....

A late Elizabethan or early Jacobean tower-house (now used as a cow-house), surrounded by one of the most extensive and best-preserved bawns in the country, with massive towers at the corners. Little is known of its history, other than a man named Keating acquired it in the mid 18th century, but on non-payment of rent, he was forcefully evicted by the owners, the Everards. Later a family called Jolly lived in it....

The kernel of the castle is a stout mid-13th century keep, almost square in plan and with walls more than 6 feet thick. The upper floors were originally made of wood, and the holes for the massive beams supporting them are still visible in the walls.

The keep is protected by an irregularly shaped curtain wall, and the corners of the stretch overlooking the river are further fortified by round turrets.

On the landward side, the gate-house of the 13th century castle was incorpor...