castles historical ireland

It had a vault over the second storey and a passage-way around the top. In an adjoining garden there are remains of a bawn wall with slits for arrows or guns at the corner. The original 'Black Castle' was built here by Hugh de Lacy in 1180. This was superseded by a Carmelite Friary founded in 1260-70. The present castle is said to have been built by Sir Edward Bellingham in 1547. The site was long held by the Kavanaghs and the Butlers, and was also occupied by Sir Peter Carew and the Bagena...

Possibly the best-preserved tower-house in a county which has many well-preserved examples. The tower is 5 storeys high, with the third storey vaulted. Beside having a guard's room, and a 'dog's hole', the ground floor has an oven which was added later.

There are a number of good fireplaces preserved on the various floors, with ahead on that of the first floor. The fourth floor has attractive mullioned windows framed in arches. The tower if surrounded by an extremely well-preserved...

The castle is first mentioned in 1544 in connection with internecine wars between the sons of MacSweeney Doe. Wrecked sailors from the Spanish Armada were granted refuge here in 1588. By 1600 it had been taken over by Eoghan Og MacSweeny, an ally of the English, who was unsuccessfully besieged there by his brother Rory in 1601. Red Hugh O'Donnell attacked the castle unsuccessfully in 1601, but shortly afterwards the castle was granted by the Crown to Rory O'Donnell. Taken again by the MacSwe...

A fine four-storey castle which is said to be older than the date of 1585 given in a window-recess on the top floor.
It was built by Randal Hurley who married Catherine Cullinane. She may be the person whose initials are given as 'C.C.' in a window inscription on the top floor.

The carvings and decorations in these windows are the most unusual feature of this castle; one shows a woman with three roses, thought to be Catherine Cullinane and her three children, and the other has a...

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...

The castle, which was probably built in the 13th century, originally consisted of a large open courtyard fortified by a high curtain wall with a moat outside it. Only a small square tower at one corner survives, as well as the entrance gate, flanked by two large rounded towers. The tower in the north-eastern corner was abandoned in the 14th century, and the whole castle may even have been abandoned at this time. Note the variety of fireplaces. The castle formerly belonged to the Kavanaghs,...

Buncrana Castle dates from the early 17th century but has not survived the test of time very well. It now stands in ruin, a mere shadow of its once magniciant self. It still gives an excellent impression of what it was once like....

The rugged Donegal highlands may be one of the bleakest places in Ireland, but in a secluded valley beside a mountain lough is a most remarkable garden....

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...

Mountjoy Castle is a ruined fort with four rectangular corner towers not far from Washing Bay. It was built in 1602 and was garrisoned during the Willianite wars....