Castles of Ireland

The Best Castles in Ireland: The Ones Worth Crossing the Country For

Ireland has thousands of castles; these twelve are the ones that reward the journey.

Any list of the best castles in Ireland is a matter of argument, so here is how this one was chosen: each castle has a clear story, something you can still see and feel on site, and a way to visit it. They run roughly from the Norman age, when Ireland’s first great stone castles went up, to the tower houses and Tudor houses that followed. Where we give visitor details, they come from the managing body’s own page; opening times change, so always check the official site before you set out.

The Norman giants

Trim Castle, County Meath. Heritage Ireland calls it the largest Anglo-Norman fortification in Ireland, and it took Hugh de Lacy and his successors about thirty years to build. The centrepiece is a three-storey keep with a twenty-sided, cruciform plan, ringed by a curtain wall, ditch and moat. Visitors can walk the wall-tops and look down into the keep. It is run by the OPW, with a guided tour for the keep and free access to the grounds. Heritage Ireland notes seasonal hours and a closure for works from 1 November 2026 to 1 April 2027, so check before travelling.

Carrickfergus Castle, County Antrim. John de Courcy built it in 1177 as his headquarters after conquering eastern Ulster, on the shore of Belfast Lough. It was garrisoned from 1177 until 1928, some 750 years, and was besieged repeatedly, by King John in 1210 and later by Marshal Schomberg in 1689. It is now a state-care monument, maintained by the Department for Communities and open to the public.

Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny. The seat of the Butler family, earls, marquesses and dukes of Ormond, for almost 600 years. The present building is much changed since its medieval beginnings, with a Victorian remodelling and a long Picture Gallery in the east wing built to hang the family’s paintings. The Butlers handed it over to the people of Kilkenny in 1967, and it is now managed by the OPW, with the parkland free to walk. Opening times are on the official site.

Nenagh Castle, County Tipperary. All that survives of the Butler stronghold is its great circular keep, over 30 metres high with a base diameter of 16 metres, begun by Theobald Walter and finished by his son in the early 1200s. The site was renovated between 2009 and 2013 and is open to the public.

Tipperary’s great trio

Cahir Castle, County Tipperary. One of the largest and best-preserved castles in Ireland, on a rocky island in the River Suir. Built in the 13th century, it was the Butlers’ stronghold and was thought nearly impregnable until the Earl of Essex took it in 1599 using heavy artillery. It is open year-round apart from a short break at Christmas, with an audiovisual show and guided tours.

Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary. Not a castle in the strict sense but a hilltop complex of medieval buildings on a limestone outcrop, and the seat of the kings of Munster. Cormac’s Chapel, consecrated in 1134, holds the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland; the round tower is about 28 metres tall. Heritage Ireland warns that the exposed site can close at short notice in bad weather.

Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Thomas, 10th Earl of Ormond, joined a Tudor manor house to an older riverside castle in 1565. Heritage Ireland calls it the finest Elizabethan manor house in Ireland, and its great hall has remarkable stucco plasterwork with portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Edward VI. It is open seasonally; see our guide to the castles of County Tipperary for more.

Tower houses and romantic ruins

Bunratty Castle, County Clare. A large 15th-century tower house beside the road between Limerick and Ennis, passing to the O’Briens, later Earls of Thomond, around 1500. It was restored in 1956 under the 7th Viscount Gort, with OPW help, and opened to the public in 1960. Ownership passed to Clare County Council in 2023, so use the council or official Bunratty channels for current opening details.

Blarney Castle, County Cork. The tower dates from 1446, rebuilt by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, and the Blarney Stone near the top is said to give the gift of eloquence to those who hang upside down to kiss it. It is privately owned by the Colthurst family, with extensive gardens, so check its own website for hours and tickets.

Ross Castle, Killarney, County Kerry. A lakeside tower house on Lough Leane, probably built in the 15th century by the O’Donoghue Mór chiefs. It was the last place in Munster to hold out against Cromwell’s forces, who reportedly won it by launching a boat on the lake, which the defenders had been told only a ship could take. Interior access is by guided tour only, run by the OPW.

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim. A ruin on a basalt outcrop above the Antrim coast, reached by a bridge. The oldest surviving features are two drum towers from the McQuillan period, and Sorley Boy MacDonnell took it in 1584; it was abandoned in 1690. It is a monument in state care and open to the public.

Lismore Castle, County Waterford. Prince John had it built in 1185 to guard a river crossing; the fairytale skyline you see today is largely the work of the 6th Duke of Devonshire from the 1810s. The castle interior is private, but the gardens are open, and its west wing houses a contemporary art gallery.

Where Ardfinnan fits

Lismore and Ardfinnan have one author. Prince John, on his 1185 expedition, built both. Ardfinnan Castle stands on a rocky rise above a ford on the Suir, four miles south of Cahir, and later passed through Templar and Hospitaller hands before becoming a private home. It is a private residence and not open to visitors, though the castle, bridge and watermill are all protected structures in the village, and Ardfinnan sits conveniently between Cahir and Lismore. For the wider story of how these castles came about, read how to read a Norman castle or browse the full hub of castles of Ireland.