Castles of the Emerald Isle
This presentation of Irish Castles includes all castles on the Emerald Isle, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK). For a map of the Castles below click here.
| County Castles | County Castles | County Castles |
|---|---|---|
| Carlow 8 | Leitrim 5 | Waterford 33 |
| Cavan 7 | Limerick 25 | Westmeath 14 |
| Clare 44 | Longford 4 | Wexford 21 |
| Cork 116 | Louth 15 | Wicklow 15 |
| Donegal 15 | Mayo 16 | Antrim 22 |
| Dublin 68 | Meath 13 | Armagh 9 |
| Galway 41 | Monaghan 5 | Down 31 |
| Kerry 29 | Offaly 16 | Fermanagh 15 |
| Kildare 16 | Roscommon 10 | Londonderry 7 |
| Kilkenny 24 | Sligo 9 | Tyrone 14 |
| Laois 26 | Tipperary 31 | |
| Data from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Ireland | ||
The oldest inhabited castles date back to the 12th century. Most of the castles were built between the 12th and 16th centuries though many continued to be built through the Georgian and Victorian eras.
The reason most often given for the large number is that Irish castles were built for chieftains, of which there were many, and later for Anglo-Norman settlers.
Malahide Castle was built in 1185 by Sir Richard Talbot who was granted the lands by Henry II. It was the home of the Talbots until 1976 when Rose Talbot left it to the Irish State for duties owed. Though from 1649 to 1660, it was in the hands of Miles Corbet after Oliver Cromwell's conquest. Corbet's hanging followed closely on Cromwell's death and it was returned to the Talbots.
On the morning July 11, 1690, fourteen members of the Talbot family sat down for breakfast. That day the Battle of the Boyne was fought between Jacobite forces loyal to deposed King James II, and those of Prince William of Orange and Mary II who ascended to the English throne in 1688. That evening only one Talbot returned to Malahide.
While Powerscourt today is considered a Country Estate, it originated as a 13th century Tower Castle built by the Anglo-Norman nobleman La Poer. It's strategic military value was due to its ability to control the nearby Dargle, Glencree and Glencullen Rivers. In the 16th century, it came into the ownership of the Powerscourt family and in the 18th century, Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt, extensively altered and remodelled the medieval castle to create a modern country house. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt, in the 18th century created the 47 acre garden. The entire demesne encompasses 77 square miles.
Richard "Strongbow" de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, constructed the first castle in the 12th century. In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess and 24th Earl of Ormonde sold the abandoned and deteriorating castle to the Kilkenny Castle Restoration Committee for a ceremonial £50. The Castle now belongs to the people of Kilkenny.
Just one of those 30,000 castles sprinkled through Ireland. I assume that this Tower Castle is abandoned since there is a tree growing out of the center.
Irish legend says that the Rock of Cashel was created when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave in Devil's Bit Mountain, a mountain north of Cashel. The Rock was thrown from the mountain and landed in Cashel. The oldest structure on the Rock is the Round Tower dating from around 1100. The Rock was the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster for hundreds of years prior to the Norman Invasion. In 1101, Muirchertach Ua Briain, the King of Munster, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church. Most of the structures on the Rock date from the 12th and 13th centuries.
With 30,000 castles, it's a wonder I didn't take more of these pictures.
The stone fortification Blarney Castle dates from around 1210. It was destroyed in 1146 but rebuilt by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muscry. The castle has changed hands many times before being purchased in the early 1700s by Sir James Jeffreys, governor of Cork City. Today, it is famous for the Blarney Stone. To kiss the Stone is to impart the "gift of gab" on the kisser. Legend has it that Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, the builder of Blarney Castle, being involved in a lawsuit in the 15th century, appealed to the goddess Clíodhna for her assistance. She instructed MacCarthy to kiss the first stone he found in the morning on his way to his day in court. He did so and as a result he pleaded his case with great eloquence and won. For luck, MacCarthy incorporated the stone into the parapet of the castle.
At the top of the Cliffs of Moher sits O'Briens Tower. Built in 1835 by local landlord and MP Sir Cornellius O'Brien as an observation tower, from here you can see as far as Loop Head at the southern tip of Clare and beyond to the mountains of Kerry. Looking north, you can see beyond Galway Bay and the Aran Islands to the west.
The current Dunguaire Castle Tower house was built on the shore of Galway Bay in the 16th century by the Ó hEidhin (Hynes) clan, chiefs of Coill Ua bhFiachrach. It was used by Walt Disney in the 1969 move Guns of the Heather. Of the 30,000 castles in Ireland, this is thought to be the most photographed.
Though today an Abbey, Kylemore began life as Kylemore Castle in 1867 as a private home for the Mitchell Henry family. After the death of Mitchell's wife, Margaret, the castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903. In 1920, the Duke had to sell the castle due to gambling debts and he found a buyer in the Benedictine Nuns of Ypres Abbey in Belgium who were forced to flee in WWI. The nuns operated a girls school until the were forced to close in 2010. The Abbey was eventually accepted into the English Benedictine Congregation and today enjoys a partnership with the University of Notre Dame of the US.
The current castle was built by Maccon Sioda MacNamare, chieftain of Clann Cuilein, around 1425. Around 1500 the castle came into the hands of the O'Briens, later the Earls of Thomond. In 1956, the castle was purchased and restored by the 7th Viscount Gort and in 2023 was transferred to Clare County Council.
Glenarm Castle was built by John Bisset in the 13th century from land that he acquired between Larne and Ballycastle from Hugh de Lacy, the Earl of Ulster. The Castle was lost to the MacDonnells in 1522 when MacEoin Bisset was killed fighting the O'Donnells. Sir Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim, built the present castle win 1636. It has remained in the family since its construction currently owned by Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim.
Dunluce Castle was the ancient seat of Clan MacDonnell. It is accessible only by traversing the Funnel which channels approaching armies to a bridge just wide enough for a single swordsman. Sitting on the basalt bluff above the North Channel of the Irish Sea, it was a natural location for Pyke Castle in Game of Thrones.
Built in the 13th century by Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster, it fell in the hands of the McQuillan family in 1513. Later it became the home of the chief of the Clan MacDonnell of Antrim and the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, Scotland. The castle was abandoned by the MacDonnells in 1690 following the Battle of the Boyne. The castle has since deteriorated and parts were scavenged to serve as materials for nearby buildings.
Today Dunluce Castle is in the care of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle located in a commanding position on the shore of Belfast Lough. Built by John de Courcy in 1177, it became his headquarters as a petty king after conquering eastern Ulster. In 1204 he was ousted by another Norman knight, Hugh de Lacy.
During the First World War it was used as a garrison and ordnance store and during the Second World War as an air raid shelter. Today, Prince William of Wales is given he title Baron Carrickfergus; however, today the title is only ceremonial.
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