Best Castle in County Cork, Republic of Ireland - Map and Reviews

Ballintotis Castle is a medieval tower house in County Cork, representative of the densely settled fortified landscape that developed across Munster during the later Middle Ages. Cork is one of Ireland's richest counties for tower houses, and Ballintotis belongs to the tradition of smaller fortified residences built by local landholding families who needed a defensible home that expressed their status and provided practical protection in a period when local conflict and raiding were recurring features of rural life. The tower house form was remarkably successful precisely because it was adaptable to a wide range of budgets and landholding situations. The largest and most powerful lords built extensive complexes with additional bawn walls, outbuildings and gate towers, while smaller landholders could construct a simple rectangular tower of two or three storeys that still provided the essential functions of elevation, strong walls and a defensible entrance. Ballintotis represents this tradition in its local Cork form, using the materials and building practices characteristic of this part of Munster. The landscape context of the castle is typical of the fertile agricultural county that Cork has always been. The rivers, rolling farmland and mixture of Old English, Anglo-Norman and Gaelic settlement patterns that characterise this part of the county produced a particularly dense concentration of castles and fortified houses. Ballintotis sits within that matrix, one of several dozen such structures surviving in various states of preservation across the area, and understanding it in relation to its neighbours gives the best picture of how fortified settlement actually functioned as a system of local control rather than as a series of isolated buildings. Today the castle is an evocative ruin in a rural setting, valued as a survival of the medieval landscape that preceded the plantation and reorganisation of landownership that transformed much of Munster in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. County Cork's coastal scenery, extensive harbour and wealth of historic sites make it one of Ireland's most rewarding destinations, and Ballintotis adds a local dimension to a heritage picture that extends from the prehistoric stone circles of the Beara Peninsula to the walled city of Youghal.

Kilcrea Castle is a substantial ruined tower house and friary complex situated in County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, and it stands as one of the more rewarding and atmospheric medieval sites in the region. The site actually comprises two distinct but closely related ruins: a Franciscan friary founded in the fifteenth century and a separate tower house castle, both of which have survived in a state of picturesque and largely unrestored ruin. What makes Kilcrea particularly compelling among Cork's many ancient sites is the combination of these two structures in a single visit, the relative accessibility of the ruins, and the genuine sense that the place has not been over-managed or sanitised for tourism. Visitors come away with a strong impression of authentic medieval Cork rather than a curated heritage experience. The friary at Kilcrea was founded around 1465 by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, one of the most powerful Gaelic lords of his era in Munster. He established it for the Observantine Franciscans, a reformed branch of the Franciscan order that emphasised stricter observance of the rule of poverty, and the friary became an important centre of religious life in the region during the late medieval period. The MacCarthy lords of Muskerry maintained a close relationship with the friary, using it as a place of burial and patronage. The tower house nearby is also associated with the MacCarthy family and served as a residence reflecting the dual character of late medieval Gaelic lordship, which combined military, political, and ecclesiastical concerns in a way quite distinct from Anglo-Norman patterns elsewhere in Ireland. The friary was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the sixteenth century, and the friars were expelled, though the community apparently lingered or returned intermittently in subsequent decades as was common in Ireland where enforcement was uneven. The buildings fell gradually into disuse and decay after that point. One of the most notable figures buried at Kilcrea is Art Ó Laoghaire, an eighteenth-century Irish chieftain whose death in 1773 inspired one of the most celebrated poems in the Irish language, the Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, a lament composed by his wife Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill. His grave at Kilcrea gives the site an additional layer of cultural and literary significance that resonates deeply with those familiar with Irish language tradition. Physically, Kilcrea presents itself as a hauntingly beautiful ruin set in green farmland. The friary church retains significant standing walls, with graceful Gothic window openings whose tracery has mostly fallen away but whose arched forms remain legible and evocative. The cloister area, though roofless and overgrown in places, still communicates the enclosed, contemplative character it once had. The tower house rises nearby with the solid, slightly forbidding mass typical of Irish tower houses of the period, its walls still largely intact to a considerable height. The whole site has a soft, worn quality, the stone darkened with lichen and moss, and on overcast days in particular it takes on a melancholy grandeur that feels entirely appropriate to its history. The sounds at Kilcrea tend to be those of the surrounding countryside — birdsong, wind moving through the grass, and the occasional distant farm noise — giving it a quietude that enhances rather than diminishes its atmosphere. The landscape surrounding Kilcrea is the gentle, well-watered countryside of the Bride River valley in mid-Cork, an area of dairy farms, hedgerows, and small country roads. The site sits close to the River Bride, a tributary of the Lee, and the low-lying fields around it are typical of this part of Cork — green, slightly damp, and ringed by low hills. The village of Ovens is a few kilometres to the east, and the town of Ballincollig, with its own significant heritage in the form of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, lies not far to the northeast, making it possible to combine a visit to Kilcrea with other sites in the area. Cork city itself is roughly fifteen kilometres to the east, close enough to make Kilcrea a very manageable half-day excursion from the city. Getting to Kilcrea requires either a car or bicycle, as there is no meaningful public transport serving the immediate vicinity of the ruins. From Cork city, the most straightforward route is to take the N22 westward toward Macroom and turn off onto local roads in the direction of Ovens and Kilcrea. The ruins are accessed via a narrow country lane, and there is limited informal parking nearby. Access to the ruins themselves is generally open, as the site is maintained by the Office of Public Works, which is responsible for many of Ireland's national monuments, though there is no visitor centre or formal facilities on site. The ruins are best visited in dry weather simply for comfort, as the ground around them can be muddy after rain. Spring and early summer are particularly rewarding times to visit, when the surrounding fields are lush and wildflowers appear in and around the ruined walls. One of the quieter but genuinely moving aspects of visiting Kilcrea is the presence of the grave of Art Ó Laoghaire within the friary. He was shot in 1773 by Abraham Morris, a High Sheriff of Cork, following a dispute rooted in the Penal Laws, which at the time prevented Catholics from owning a horse worth more than five pounds. Ó Laoghaire refused to sell his fine mare for that price and was declared an outlaw. The lament composed by his wife Eibhlín Dubh is considered one of the masterpieces of oral poetry in the Irish tradition, and knowing this history while standing in the quiet ruin lends the visit an emotional weight that purely architectural appreciation cannot supply. Kilcrea is, in this sense, not just a place of stones and arches but a site woven into the living literary and cultural memory of Ireland.

Ballyhooly Castle is situated amongst woodland on the north side of the River Blackwater near the town of Mallow in County Cork. The original castle is a five storey tower house with a relatively modern 20th century two storey fishing lodge adjoining the side of the medieval tower. The castle has been well maintained, and the house has been recently refurbished, making it a comfortable family home. Facilities Ballyhooly Castle offers comfortable self-catering accommodation for up to eight guests, with three double bedrooms, two single bedrooms, and four bathrooms. The castle has a dining room, sitting room, drawing room and kitchen. A housekeeper and cleaner are on hand to look after the property, and cooking services can be provided. The castle overlooks the river offering picturesque views and pleasant walks in the nearby woods. The castle has exclusive private access to five miles of fishing on the River Blackwater, one of the best salmon rivers in western Europe. The Lakes of Killarney are within an hour drive, and other activities in the area include golf, walking, cycling and horse riding. The castle was built to guard a ford over the River Blackwater in the 16th century. Ballyhooly Castle was occupied by the Roches until it was forfeited in the Confederate Wars, when occupation passed to Richard Aldworth. The castle was restored in 1862, and the fishing lodge was added in the 1920s.

Carrignamuck Castle (also known as Dripsey Castle) is situated about a mile from the village of Dripsey on the banks of the River Dripsey. The castle is a ruined five storey tower house. The eastern wall was damage by Oliver Cromwell's troops in the 17th century. It is part of a chain of castles owned by the Lords of Muskerry which extended from Blarney to other side of Macroom. Facilities Carrignamuck Castle is believed to have been built in the late 15th century. It was built by MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry who also built the famous Blarney Castle and a number of other Irish Castles in the region. It was customary for the Lord of Muskerry to live in Blarney Castle, while his successor occupied Carrignamuck Castle. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell's troops led by Lord Broghill, attacked and captured Carrignamuck Castle. During the bombardment, the eastern wall was holed. Some years later, the castle was bought by the Colthurst family who built a new house in the grounds. In 1903 the castle was purchased by industrialist and politician Andrew O'Shaughnessy, but has not been inhabited for many years.

Carrigaphooca Castle is a ruined tower house perched dramatically on a large glacial rock outcrop above the Sullane River, located just outside the village of Macroom in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. Despite the coordinates placing it within the Kerry postal area, it sits administratively in County Cork, close to the Cork-Kerry border, a region where such ambiguities are commonplace. The castle is a Scheduled Monument and one of the more evocative and atmospherically situated medieval ruins in Munster, combining genuine historical depth with a wild, rocky grandeur that makes it memorable to anyone who passes by or stops to explore it. Its name derives from the Irish Carraig an Phúca, meaning "Rock of the Pooka" — the Pooka being a shape-shifting supernatural creature from Irish folklore — and this name alone signals that this is a place layered with myth, superstition, and a long human relationship with the uncanny. The castle's origins lie in the medieval period, and it is most closely associated with the MacCarthy clan, one of the great Gaelic dynasties of Munster who dominated this part of Cork and Kerry for centuries. The tower house that stands today dates broadly from the fifteenth or sixteenth century, though the rock itself and the strategic position it commands over the Sullane valley would have attracted human attention far earlier. The MacCarthys used Carrigaphooca as a stronghold guarding the approaches to their territory, and its position atop the natural rock formation made it extraordinarily difficult to assault. The castle passed through various hands during the turbulent centuries of English colonization and the wars of the seventeenth century, including the Cromwellian campaigns that devastated so much of Ireland's built heritage. By the time relative peace came to the region, Carrigaphooca had fallen into disuse and ruin, its stones quarried locally or simply surrendering to weather and ivy over the generations. The folklore surrounding the site is unusually rich even by Irish standards. The name's connection to the Pooka — one of the most feared and unpredictable spirits in Irish mythology — suggests that the rock itself was considered a supernatural site long before any castle was built upon it. The Pooka was said to haunt certain landscapes, particularly elevated rocky outcrops near water, taking the form of a black horse, a goat, or a formless dark presence, and those who encountered it risked being carried off on a wild nocturnal ride. Local traditions have long associated Carrigaphooca with strange lights, unexplained sounds, and a general sense of unease after dark, and the site appears in older regional folklore collections as a place where the boundary between the human and spirit worlds was considered thin. Whether or not one puts stock in such things, the atmosphere of the site in the late evening or on an overcast day does nothing to dispel these associations. Physically, Carrigaphooca is a striking sight. The ruined tower house rises from a massive rounded boulder of old red sandstone, the rock itself forming a natural plinth that elevates the structure above the surrounding countryside. The remaining walls of the tower, though substantially reduced from their original height, still retain enough mass to convey the solidity and intention of the original construction. The stonework is rough and weathered, colonized by mosses and lichens in shades of grey, green, and orange, and the whole structure has the quality of something that has grown organically from the rock beneath it rather than been placed upon it. Standing at the base, you are aware of the scale of the glacial erratic on which the castle sits — it is a genuinely enormous piece of stone — and the effort required to construct anything on its surface speaks to the determination and engineering confidence of its medieval builders. The sound environment is dominated by the nearby river and, depending on the season, the wind moving through the surrounding trees and hedgerows. The landscape around Carrigaphooca is characteristic of the Lee Valley as it approaches Macroom from the west, with the Sullane River joining the Lee nearby and the surrounding hills giving the terrain a sheltered, enclosed feel despite its elevation. The town of Macroom itself lies only a couple of kilometres to the east and is a bustling market town with good facilities including hotels, restaurants, and shops. To the west, the landscape opens toward the wilder upland terrain of the Cork-Kerry border, with the Derrynasaggart Mountains forming a backdrop and the road continuing toward Killarney. The area sits within easy reach of several other significant heritage sites, including Killarney National Park, Blarney Castle to the east, and the various stone circles and standing stones that pepper this part of Munster. The Macroom area also has strong associations with Michael Collins, the revolutionary leader, who was born nearby at Woodfield, Sam's Cross, and the broader region carries a deep sense of Irish historical identity. Visiting Carrigaphooca is straightforward and free of charge, as the site sits adjacent to the N22 national road between Cork city and Killarney, making it easily visible and accessible from the road. There is a small informal parking area nearby, and the castle can be reached on foot in a matter of minutes. Visitors should be aware that the site is not formally managed in the way that a state-run heritage attraction would be, meaning there are no facilities, no interpretive panels, and no guardrails — the climb onto the rock and the ruins themselves requires care and a degree of surefootedness, particularly in wet conditions when the stone surfaces become slippery. The best times to visit are in the drier months from late spring through early autumn, though the site has a particular drama in winter light or under low cloud that rewards those willing to brave the conditions. Early morning or evening visits offer the most atmosphere and the best photographic opportunities, when the low light emphasises the texture of the stonework and the rock, and the valley below is often filled with mist. One of the more quietly fascinating aspects of Carrigaphooca is the way it combines several layers of Irish cultural history in a single compact site: the Gaelic medieval world of the MacCarthys, the landscape mythology of the Pooka and the older animist traditions it represents, the traumatic rupture of the seventeenth century, and the ongoing living relationship between local communities and their inherited landscape. It is not a polished heritage destination and makes no pretence of being one, which is precisely part of its appeal. The castle ruin sitting atop its ancient rock above the river feels genuinely unmediated — a direct encounter with a place that has accumulated centuries of human meaning without being curated or sanitised for modern consumption. For anyone driving the Cork to Killarney road with a little time to spare, it rewards a stop entirely out of proportion to the modest effort required to make one.

Mallow Castle stands on about 33 acres of gardens and parkland at Deerpark, Mallow in County Cork. Overlooking the Blackwater River, one of the finest salmon fishing rivers in Ireland, the castle is in a picturesque setting. The "old" Mallow Castle is a three storey rectangular stronghouse with wings projecting from the middle of the northern and southern walls. There are octagonal turrets on the north west and south west corners, one of which contains a staircase. The castle, which is now n ruins, was built in early Jacobean style. It featured high gables, stepped battlements and large mullioned windows with gun loops in the turrets and below the upper windows. The "new" Mallow Castle is a baronial mansion house built in the 1690's from the stables of the old castle. The castle is situated near the original Mallow Castle, which was burned down in 1689. The new castle has been refurbished recently and boasts eight reception rooms, including a library, music room, billiard room, and twelve bedrooms. The grounds have various stone outbuildings including stables and the Mill House. The castle ground is home to a magnificent herd of white fallow deer, which are descended from deer given to the Castle by Queen Elizabeth 1st. The castle was built around 1598, either by Sir Thomas Norris (or Norreys), or his daughter who married into the Jephson family. During the Confederate War, the Jephsons sided with Parliament. The castle withstood an attack by Lord Mountgarret in 1642, but was captured by Lord Castlehaven in 1645. The castle was burnt down by the Jacobites in 1689 and fell into ruin. Rather than rebuild the burned castle, the Jephsons created a mansion house (the "new" Mallow Castle) out of the old castle's stable block. In 1928, the old castle was made a National Monument. The last Jephson was Commander Maurice Jephson who sold the castle to McGinn family of Washington D.C. in 1984, ending a family chain that stretched for almost 400 years.

Kilbolane Castle is a ruined medieval tower house located in County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, situated in a quiet stretch of agricultural countryside in the northern part of the county. The castle stands as one of the many fortified residences that dot the Irish midlands and Munster regions, representing the layered history of Gaelic and Anglo-Norman settlement that characterises this part of Ireland. While it does not attract the same volume of visitors as more prominently signposted heritage sites, it holds genuine historical interest for those with a curiosity about medieval Irish fortifications and the turbulent history of the region. Its relative obscurity is part of its charm, offering a more contemplative and unmediated encounter with the past than many heavily managed tourist sites can provide. The castle is associated with the MacCarthy and later the FitzGibbon families, both of whom wielded significant local power in County Cork and Limerick during the medieval period. The FitzGibbons, a branch of the powerful FitzGerald dynasty, held considerable influence across this border territory between the ancient kingdoms of Munster, and structures like Kilbolane Castle served as both administrative centres and symbols of territorial authority. The tower house format — typically a tall, narrow, multi-storey fortified residence — was the dominant architectural response to the endemic local conflict of late medieval Ireland, and Kilbolane fits within this tradition. The site's history likely stretches back several centuries before the present ruins were constructed, as the area around it shows signs of earlier habitation and ecclesiastical significance, with the "Kil" prefix in the place name strongly suggesting an early Christian foundation or church site nearby, as is common throughout Ireland. Physically, the castle presents as a roofless but still substantially standing stone tower, built from the local limestone and rubble masonry typical of the region. The walls retain considerable height in places, and the texture of the stonework — roughened by centuries of rain, wind and lichen growth — gives the structure a deeply weathered, organic quality that blends naturally into the surrounding countryside. Approaching the ruin on foot, a visitor would notice the silence of the surrounding farmland, broken only by birdsong and the occasional sound of livestock in nearby fields. The stonework is mossy and green in the wetter months, and the interior, open to the sky, is often carpeted with vegetation that has reclaimed the space over the generations since the castle fell out of use. The overall impression is one of dignified decay rather than dramatic ruin. The landscape surrounding Kilbolane Castle is gentle and pastoral, characterised by the low rolling hills, hedgerow-divided fields and scattered farmsteads that are typical of County Cork's interior. The countryside here lacks the dramatic coastal scenery of Cork's southern and western fringes but has a quiet, unhurried beauty of its own. The nearby town of Charleville, known in Irish as Ráth Luirc, lies a short distance to the north and serves as the main local service centre, offering accommodation, food and fuel. This area sits close to the Cork-Limerick border, meaning that the cultural and historical landscape reflects centuries of interaction between those two provinces. The wider region contains several other medieval and early modern heritage sites, making it a rewarding area for those undertaking a broader exploration of Munster's historical landscape. For practical purposes, Kilbolane Castle is most accessible by private car, as public transport options in this part of rural County Cork are limited. The site lies in open countryside and visitors should be prepared for uneven ground, overgrown approaches and the absence of formal visitor facilities such as car parks, toilets or interpretive signage. As with many such unmanaged heritage sites in Ireland, access is informal and visitors should exercise caution around the unstable masonry of the ruin itself. The best times to visit are during the drier months of late spring through early autumn, when ground conditions are more manageable and daylight hours allow for relaxed exploration. A visit pairs naturally with exploration of the Charleville area and the broader landscape of north Cork. One of the quiet fascinations of a place like Kilbolane Castle is what it reveals about the density of history embedded in the Irish countryside. Ireland's medieval period left thousands of tower houses scattered across the island, yet each one represents a specific local story of family ambition, conflict, survival and eventual decline. The "Kil" element of the place name is a persistent reminder that before the Norman and Gaelic lords built their stone towers, Christian monks and early medieval communities had already shaped this landscape for centuries. That layering of time — from early Christian settlement through medieval fortification to the present-day farmland quietly surrounding the ruin — is precisely what makes a site like Kilbolane Castle worth seeking out, even if it demands a degree of effort and initiative that more celebrated landmarks do not.

Castle Lyons is situated 6 km south of Fermoy near the village of Castlelyons, in a field behind an industrial site off the main road near Castlelyons. The castle is now in ruins and becoming overgrown with plants. It was once a fortified house with most of the walls over 4 feet thick. Castle Lyons was one of the main seats of the Barry family in the 13th century, ever since King John granted the land to William de Barry. The Earl of Barrymore took over the castle in 1627 and built a large fortified house. In the 17th century the castle was held by the English as a stronghold against the Irish. Castle Lyons was captured by Lord Castlehaven after the battle of Manning Ford in 1643. The castle remained a habitable building until it was destroyed by fire accidently in 1771.

Liscarroll Castle is an impressive ruined fortress located in the village of Liscarroll in County Cork. The castle, now in ruins, was a large rectangular structure about 240 feet by 120 feet in size with large rounded towers at each corner. The surrounding walls were about 30 feet tall, with the main entrance in the south wall guarded by a large square tower. There are some underground passages near the castle, but the entrances to these are now closed up. The south east tower and large parts of the curtain wall have been destroyed Liscarroll Castle was built in the 13th century by the De Barry family. In 1642, at the start of the Irish Confederate Wars, it was besieged by Irish army forces under the command of Lord Mountgarret. The castle occupants surrendered after a siege of 13 days, but the following day the Earl of Inchiquin arrived with reinforcements and defeated the Irish army at the Battle of Liscarroll, which claimed the lives of 1500 men. The Irish army again captured the castle in 1646, with an army of 5000 led by Lord Castlehaven. After the wars the castle was granted to the Percevals (the Earls of Egmont) and it remained in their possession for many years. The Arts The castle is referred to in an 1854 poem by Callaghan Hartstonge Gayner which ends with the line "We'll stand as freemen yet, beneath those old Liscarroll walls".

Ightermurragh Castle stands amongst trees at the of a track in Ightermurragh in County Cork. Although a ruin, it is an impressive sight standing four storeys tall with a cross-shaped plan. It has many gunloops in the walls of the first and second storeys. The house has tall chimney stacks and mullioned windows. The main entrance is on the first storey, and shows evidence of where the yett would have been located. Ightermurragh Castle was built by Edmund Supple. On the second storey, a lintel over the fireplace has an inscription in Latin which includes the names Edward Supple and his wife Margaret FitzGerald, with a construction date of 1642. The castle was captured and burned down soon after completion. It was subsequently restored in the mid-18th century by a Mr. Smith.

Kilgobbin Castle stands in a farmyard on the west bank of the river Bandon, a few miles from Kinsale in County Cork. The castle is a five storey square tower house and has been recently restored. The tower has two levels of barrel vaulted ceilings. On the ground floor was a single large room with a vaulted ceiling. On one of the corners there was a projection housing the staircase. Battlements on top of the tower were positioned for defense. The construction is very similar to that of other castles built on the Bandon river. During the recent restoration, the stone was repointed, stonework around the windows was restored, the battlements were rebuilt and a new slate roof was put on the castle. The original Kilgobbin Castle was built by the Walsh family in the mid 15th century. The Sarsfield family took it over in the early 17th century, and it again changed hands when the Palmer family took over. By the 18th century, the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. In 2004, extensive restoration work was carried out by Martin McCarthy. Legends According to folklore, the castle is haunted by a man in armour, and a woman carrying a golden object. There are also rumours of buried treasure at the castle.

Castlemartyr is a ruined castle situated in the grounds of Castlemartyr Resort, a 5 star luxury resort hotel in the town of Castlemartyr, about 20 minutes drive from Cork City. Castlemartyr is set amongst picturesque woodland. On the site is a ruined 13th century castle that once that belonged to the Knights Templar, and a 17th century manor house. The entrance to the estate is via an impressive gated entrance in Castlemartyr village. The Manor House has been restored to its original elegance and is now a focal point of the Castlemartyr Resort. Eleven of the resort's 103 rooms are in the old Manor House and the rest are in a modern building alongside the manor. Facilities Castlemartyr Resort, which opened in 2007, is one of the finest luxury hotels in Ireland, and one of the best in Europe. It is a five star hotel with 103 guest rooms and suites and a luxury spa. Rooms and suites range in size from 500 square feet to 3000 square feet. The centerpiece of the resort is a beautifully restored manor with many of the original features preserved, including an ornate Rococo ceiling in what was once the Ballroom. Castlemartyr is magnificent venue for your Irish wedding. The resort only hosts one wedding per day, and offers a complimentary room in the Manor House for the bride and groom on their wedding night. To make your day special, your wedding at Castlemartyr offers a red carpet welcome, personalized menus, advice on recommended local suppliers, complimentary Capel suite room hire for weddings with over 120 guests, use of formal gardens and resort grounds. The castle was first built in 1210 by the Knights Templar under leadership of Richard Earl de Clare, also known as Strongbow. By the mid 15th century, the castle was the seat for the local seneschal appointed by James, Earl of Ormond. Castlemartyr was captured in 1569 by Sir Henry Sidney, when Ormond's men abandoned the castle overnight after a cannon attack. It was subsequently given to Sir Walter Raleigh, and later taken by the seneschal John FitzGerald. The Earl of Ormond attacked the castle in 1579. John FitzGerald was eventually captured in 1583 and died a few years later in Dublin Castle in 1589. In the 1640s, the castle again saw conflict and changed hands twice more before being set on fire to prevent it being used as a base for the Irish Confederate forces. During the civil war, the castle was captured by the Irish, and then recaptured by the Williamites in 1690, but was badly damaged and eventually abandoned and fell into disrepair. During the 17th century, Richard Boyle, the first Earl of Cork built the magnificent Manor House.

Carrigadrohid Castle is situated on a rocky outcrop in the River Lee near the village of Carrigadrohid in central Cork. The castle is a ruined three storey tower in a picturesque setting on the river. It is joined to the river bank by a road bridge at second storey level which joins the eastern wall of the castle. Carrigadrohid Castle was built in the 15th century by the MacCarthys of Muskerry, and has been extended and modified over the years. In 1650, the castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces. The MacCarthys were dispossessed, and the castle was taken over by the Bowens who occupied it until the mid 18th century. The castle then fell into disrepair. In recent times, a local group has been established to preserve the castle

Dunboy Castle is set in 39 acres of land near the village of Castletownbere on Beara Peninsula and the shores of the Atlantic ocean, 12 miles from Kenmare in the south west of Ireland. The castle is part of the Dunboy Estate which also consists of Puxley Castle/Manor now the Dunboy Castle Hotel. Very little remains of the old castle. It was left in ruins after 1602 and now comprises of just a few collections of stones which in parts are almost completely covered with undergrowth. Facilities Dunboy castle ruins can still be visited as the estate is open to the public, but visitors should be aware that there is a great deal of building work taking place in other parts of the estate and major construction is taking place along the access road. Dunboy Castle and Estate was the stronghold of the O'Sullivan Bere clan and built to guard the harbor of Berehaven. This is where they controlled the fishing fleets off the Irish coast and became rich through the collection of taxes for the rights of passage. One of the most famous parts of history in the life of the castle was the Siege of Dunboy in 1602. The battle was between clan leader Donal Cam O'Sullivan Bere and Elizabeth I of England. The Queen's command was headed by Sir George Carew and along with 5000 soldiers he was sent to suppress the clan. Dunboy Castle was considered impregnable and was only defended by 143 men it took two weeks, but it was almost destroyed by artillery fire and after hand to hand fighting the remaining 58 survivors were executed in the town square. The entire site lay in ruins until 1730 when the Puxley family were granted the Dunboy Estate along with other land belonging to the O'Sullivan's, they then set about building a mansion close to the Puxley Castle keep and Dunboy Castle was left in ruins. The Arts The book 'Two Chiefs of Dunboy' by J.A. Froude and 'Hungry Hill' by Daphnie du Maurier were based around the Puxley family.

Ballyclogh Castle is a ruined tower house located in County Cork, in the southern part of Ireland, positioned in the rural landscape west of Mallow and north of Kanturk. Tower houses of this type are among the most characteristic medieval structures of Munster, and this example represents the kind of fortified residence that dominated the Irish countryside between roughly the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. The castle sits within a predominantly agricultural setting, surrounded by the rolling green fields and hedgerow-divided pastures that define this part of north Cork. While not one of the more famous or heavily visited castles in the county, it holds genuine historical interest as a tangible remnant of the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman feudal landscape that once shaped the region. The area around these coordinates falls within territory historically associated with the MacCarthy and other prominent Gaelic families of Munster, though much of north Cork also saw significant Anglo-Norman influence following the twelfth-century conquest. Tower houses like Ballyclogh were built and occupied by local lords, landowners, and their extended kin groups, serving as both defensive strongholds and symbols of status. The construction of such a tower would typically have occurred between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, a period of considerable instability in Munster during which fortified residences became widespread across the province. The plantation era of the seventeenth century, which dramatically reshaped land ownership in Cork and the surrounding counties, likely contributed to the eventual abandonment and ruination of the structure. Physically, a tower house of this type in County Cork would present as a tall, thick-walled rectangular keep, typically constructed from locally quarried limestone or sandstone, with small narrow windows that reflect both the defensive priorities and the building traditions of the medieval period. The walls, even in ruin, tend to be impressively massive, often several feet thick, and the stonework weathers to a texture that seems almost to merge with the landscape over centuries of exposure to the soft, wet Irish climate. Mosses, ferns, and ivy typically colonise the upper courses of such structures, and the interior, open to the sky after centuries of decay, tends to fill with vegetation and fallen stone. Visiting such a site in person carries a quiet, contemplative quality — the sounds of wind, birdsong, and occasionally distant farm machinery provide the acoustic backdrop. The surrounding landscape is characteristic of the Blackwater Valley hinterland, a region of considerable natural beauty with gentle hills, riverside meadows, and the kind of deep rural quiet that draws visitors seeking an authentic rather than commercialised Irish experience. The town of Kanturk, a few kilometres to the east, is a notable nearby destination in its own right, home to Kanturk Castle, a far more substantial and better-documented early seventeenth-century fortified mansion that is maintained by the Office of Public Works. Mallow, one of the principal towns of north Cork, lies further to the southeast and offers accommodation, restaurants, and onward transport connections. The Blackwater River, one of Ireland's great salmon rivers, flows through this general region. For practical visiting purposes, rural tower house ruins in this part of Cork are often located on or adjacent to private farmland, and access should be treated accordingly. Visitors should exercise care and courtesy, checking whether the site is accessible from a public road or requires permission from a landowner. There is no managed visitor infrastructure at a site of this nature — no car park, interpretive panels, or entry fee — which is part of its appeal for those who enjoy undiscovered heritage. The best times to visit are late spring through early autumn, when daylight hours are long and the roads and laneways of rural Cork are most easily navigated. Sturdy footwear is advisable given the typical condition of ground around ruined structures in the Irish countryside. One of the quietly fascinating aspects of sites like Ballyclogh Castle is how thoroughly they have receded from popular consciousness while remaining physically present in the landscape. Ireland has an extraordinary density of medieval tower houses — estimates suggest several thousand survive in varying states across the island — and many, like this one, exist outside any formal heritage designation or tourist infrastructure. They are simply there, in the corner of a field or along a country lane, known locally but rarely appearing on any itinerary. This anonymity is itself a kind of historical document: it reflects the degree to which the violent transitions of Irish history, from Gaelic lordship through plantation and on into the modern era, severed communities from the built legacy of the medieval past.