Historic Places in County Galway

Ballynahinch Castle is 41 miles west of Galway between Roundstone and Recess. It is set in 450 acres of private woodland overlooking the Twelve Bens mountain range and the river Ballynahinch. The appearance is more that of a crenellated Victorian mansion than a traditional castle. Made from honey colored stone it has 3 floors in the main building with the wings being only one or two floors. It is set in terraced gardens overlooking the river where fishing piers and the huts built in the 1920's and can still be seen today. Facilities Since 1946, Ballynahinch Castle has been used as a four star hotel offering salmon fishing, cycling, walking and game shooting. The hotel has 40 rooms, half in the older part of the castle with the more luxurious and superior rooms being situated in the two riverside wings. Its main Owenmore Restaurant serves seasonal Irish food and there is also the Fisherman's Pub offering less formal meals. The specialties of both these restaurants being freshly caught fish from the river below. The castle built in the 1750's was originally home to the 'ferocious' O'Flaherty clan who lived there until the end of the century. One of the notable residents was the wife of clan member Donal O'Flaherty, Grace O'Malley also known as Pirate Grace as she was a pirate on the high seas. When her husband murdered by a rival clan she took over as the head of the O'Flaherty family a great honor for a woman. In 1590 the ancestors of Richard Martin also known as 'Humanity Dick', the founder of the RSPCA took over the castle and it was re-built in the 1700's to be used as an Inn. Prince Ranjitsinhji Maharajah of Nawanager stayed at the castle in 1924 as guests of the Berridge family who then owned the estate. He fell in love with the area, castle and the fishing so much that he decided to buy the castle and return once a year until his death in 1932. The Arts One of the castles residents Grace O'Malley was the subject of the film 'The Pirate Queen' and also a book by Anne Chambers published in 2003 called Ireland's Pirate Queen.

Ashford Castle can be found 45 miles north of Galway on the west coast of Ireland. It is positioned on an isthmus between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask and is surrounded by 350 acres of parkland. The entrance to the castle is over a stone bridge protected by turrets at either side. The castle itself is of grey stone and is a combination of a Norman castle and French chateau, all totally renovated. Its formal and walled gardens stretch out towards the loughs on either side. Facilities Ashford Castle has been used as a high class hotel since 1939 and today is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World group. It offers fishing and lake cruises along with a falconry school and equestrian centre. The hotel also has its own 9 hole golf course and a health and beauty centre. It can accommodate 150 guests in its 83 rooms which are all individually designed with period furniture and unique views over the countryside. There are three dining rooms each with its own theme and traditional evening entertainment of music and storytelling is provided in the Dungeon. The castle has an experienced team who individually tailor wedding packages for both intimate and large scale weddings; it is even possible to have exclusive use of the castle over the weekend. The Norman castle dates back to 1228 when it was founded by the de Burgo family, they were defeated in a battle in 1589 and lost their home to Lord Ingham governor of Connaught. It was transformed in 1715 by the Oranmore and Browne family with the addition of a French style chateau and in 1852 it's owner Sir Benjamin Guinness (of the brewing family) extended the estate to 26,000 acres planting trees and adding a further two Victorian extensions. During this time George V, Prince of Wales and many other important guests stayed with the Guiness family. In the 19th century Arthur Guinness incorporated both the castle and the chateau into the one large building it is today. From 1939 onwards Ashford Castle has also welcomed many famous guests amongst them the then president of America Ronald Regan. The Arts The 1950's film 'The Quiet Man' by John Ford was filmed in Cong and there are nightly showings at the castle.

Portumna Castle is a semi-fortified house and one of the finest examples of early seventeenth-century Renaissance architecture in Ireland. Located at the southern end of Lough Derg in County Galway, it sits at the point where the River Shannon broadens into the lough, giving it a commanding position that reflects both its strategic importance and the prestige of the family that built it. Managed today by the Office of Public Works (OPW), the castle is open to visitors and has been carefully partially restored following centuries of neglect and a devastating fire in 1826. It is widely regarded as one of the most architecturally significant ruined houses in the country, drawing historians, heritage enthusiasts, and casual visitors who are rewarded by the combination of its dramatic remains and its extraordinarily beautiful natural setting. The castle was built around 1618 by Richard Burke, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde, a member of one of the most powerful Anglo-Norman dynasties in Connacht. The Burkes — or de Burgos — had dominated the region for centuries, and Portumna represented their desire to project power and sophistication in the Jacobean style then fashionable across Ireland and Britain. The house was built on a grand rectangular plan with projecting towers and elaborate decorative gateways, incorporating Renaissance detailing that was unusually refined for rural Ireland at the time. The Clanricardes remained at Portumna for generations, playing complex roles in the political upheavals of the seventeenth century, including the 1641 rebellion and the Cromwellian and Williamite wars. The castle was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1826, believed to have been caused by a servant searching for something with a candle in an upper room, a calamity that ended the building's use as a family residence. Physically, the castle is a striking and somewhat melancholy presence. The roofless shell of the main house rises to four storeys, its limestone walls weathered to a warm grey-gold, with rows of large mullioned windows — now glassless and open to the sky — giving the facade an elegant, almost domestic rhythm that contrasts with the wildness of the interior. The two great formal entrance gates that precede the castle proper are among the most celebrated features of the site: the outer gate is adorned with carved heraldic devices and classical pilasters that would not look out of place in an Italian Renaissance garden. Walking through these gates and approaching the main block, there is a palpable sense of the ambition and wealth that once animated this place. The grounds are quiet, often birdsung, with jackdaws nesting in the upper windows and the wind carrying the faint smell of the nearby lough. The surrounding landscape is one of the great pleasures of a visit to Portumna. The town of Portumna itself is a small but welcoming place on the Galway-Tipperary border, and the castle sits within Portumna Forest Park, a large area of mixed woodland on the shores of Lough Derg. The park contains waymarked walking trails, wildlife hides overlooking the wetlands, and access to the lakeshore. Lough Derg, the largest of the Shannon lakes, is visible from parts of the grounds, and its sheer scale — stretching south toward Killaloe in County Clare — is quietly impressive. The Portumna Bridge crossing the Shannon nearby is a notable local landmark, and the area is popular with boaters and anglers. Clonfert Cathedral, a site of exceptional early medieval significance with its astonishing Romanesque doorway, lies a relatively short drive to the northwest and makes an obvious companion visit. For practical purposes, Portumna Castle is accessible by car from Galway city, which lies roughly 60 kilometres to the west, and from Limerick and Tipperary to the south. The site is signposted from the town centre and there is a car park adjacent to the entrance. The OPW typically opens the site during the summer months and on weekends in shoulder seasons, though hours can vary and it is worth checking the OPW website before travelling. The interior of the castle can be visited with a guide during open periods, and the restored kitchen quarters in the basement give a vivid sense of the domestic life of a great house. The walled kitchen garden has also been restored and replanted in period style, providing one of the more charming and lesser-known elements of the site. One of the more poignant historical details associated with Portumna is that it was once considered among the grandest private residences in Ireland, a rival in scale and sophistication to any great house in the country. The Earls of Clanricarde were immensely wealthy and politically influential, and the castle's architecture was a deliberate statement of that status. The 1826 fire reduced all of that in a single night, and the ruin that stands today, however beautiful, is also a reminder of how quickly even the most permanent-seeming things can be lost. There is also an older tower house on the grounds, predating the Jacobean mansion, which speaks to the longer history of the site as a place of habitation and power stretching back well before the seventeenth century.

Glinsk Castle is situated in the River Suck valley about 4 miles south east of Ballymoe and 4 miles north west of Creggs village in County Galway. The Castle is rectangular in plan with two square towers projecting from the southern side. It has three storeys and a raised basement. The main entrance way was on the first storey on the south side, between the two towers. The roof has gone, but was gabled with an attic. The interior walls and floors have gone. One of the most impressive features remaining are the prominent chimney stacks in the end walls. Each chimney stack has five tall shafts. The mullioned windows give the castle an elegant appearance more in keeping with a luxurious home than a traditional castle. Glinsk Castle did have defensive features such as gun loops, bartizans and high basements. The main door and the basement windows have gunloops at either side. It also used to have a surrounding defensive bawn wall with turrets, most of which has gone. Facilities Glinsk Castle is accessible to the public, and a key may be obtained from the house near the castle. Access is signposted. The castle is now a National Monument. Also in the area you will find the ruins of Ballinakill Abbey, built in the early 1700s. There is a 60 mile long walking trail nearby along the River Suck valley. Glinsk Castle was one of the last defensive castles to be built in Ireland, and shows the architecture transition from traditional fortified castle to a residential castellated house. It as built as a fortified tower house around in the mid 17th century, and was the home of Sir Ulick Burke, the Baronet of Glinsk. The castle was destroyed by fire in ??, and is now a well preserved ruin.

Tyrone House stands on an outcrop by the sea, about two miles from Kilcolgan village in Ireland's County Galway. The structure is now a roofless and windowless ruin, made of blue-cut limestone, and stands three storeys high. Wild ivy covers its walls, It stands high on rocky soil, its front facing south to the Atlantic, with the Kilcolgan River beyond the woods to the north. It is easily visible from all around. Facilities Tyrone House can be viewed by the public from the outside. The house has commanding views over the surrounding Galway countryside. The House was built in 1779. It was originally owned by Christopher St. George. It was the personal home of the family. The building was one of the largest homes in the country, with the property growing at one point in the 19th century to 53,000 acres. However, it was destroyed in 1920 by arson during the Irish War of Independence by the local IRA unit. It was never rebuilt, and remained in abandon until 1972, when the Irish Georgian Society acquired it.

The castle is situated in the centre of the town of Athenry, 15 miles east of Galway in the west of Ireland. Athenry castle consists of a three-storey keep surrounded by a defensive curtain wall with two round towers. The keep was originally two storeys, the Great Hall and the basement. Another floor was added later. There is an area of grass between the keep and the bailey. After being left in ruins for over five centuries restoration on Athenry Castle commenced in 1990. Facilities The castle offers guided tours during the summer but has no facilities for visitors. Opening hours April/May/October, Tuesday to Sunday 10: - 17:00, June to September daily from 10:00 to 18:00. The castle Keep was built in 1253 by Meiler de Bermingham and after an attack in 1316 the large town wall were added. Not long after the completion of the walls, one of Ireland's bloodiest battles was fought outside the town between the King of Connaught and the Normans. Until that time the area and castle were of great importance but the story changed after the battle. Meiler's son raised the height of the first floor; he also embellished the entrance with a fine arched door at the south east end of the castle which was reached by a wooden staircase. During the reordering the banqueting hall was also enhanced with narrow trefoil headed windows; very rare in Irish castles. In the 15th century the tower was raised by two floors to include an attic and two gable ends and battlements were added. The basement only previously accessible by a trap door and ladder also benefited from having a new entrance. In 1596 the castle fell into the hands of the O'Donnell clan and never recovered from the great damage it sustained during the battle for its title and it wasn't until the late 1980's that the National Monuments branch of the Office of Public Works in Ireland started work on its restoration.

Ardamullivan Castle is a tower house of medieval origin located in County Galway, in the west of Ireland — not in the Midlands or Dublin area as the prompt approximates, since the coordinates 53.00425, -8.82932 place it firmly in east County Galway, in the Burren fringe and south Galway region near the town of Gort. It is a relatively compact but well-preserved example of an Irish tower house, the kind of fortified dwelling that was built in great numbers across Connacht between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries by Gaelic Irish and Anglo-Norman lords alike. What makes Ardamullivan particularly notable among the many ruined tower houses of Galway is both its state of structural survival and its association with the powerful O'Shaughnessy clan, who were lords of the territory of Kinelea and dominant figures in south Galway for several centuries during the medieval period. The O'Shaughnessys were one of the great Gaelic dynasties of Connacht, and Ardamullivan served as one of their strongholds in the region. Their power base was centred in this part of south Galway, and they controlled a network of tower houses and fortified sites across the area. The castle likely dates to around the fifteenth or early sixteenth century, consistent with the widespread tower house building programme that characterized Gaelic lordship in this era, often facilitated in part by crown loans provided to encourage the construction of defensible stone buildings. The O'Shaughnessys maintained their influence through the turbulent period of Tudor conquest and plantation, though like many Gaelic families they experienced gradual dispossession and decline through the seventeenth century following the Cromwellian wars and subsequent land settlements that redistributed vast swaths of Irish land to English settlers. Physically, the castle presents as a roughly rectangular tower of limestone construction, built from the local grey stone that characterises so much of the architecture in this part of Galway and which blends into the broader landscape of the region. The walls are thick, as was necessary for defensive purposes, and the structure retains much of its height, giving it a commanding though not enormous presence in the surrounding countryside. The interior, like most Irish tower houses, would have been organised across several floors connected by a narrow internal staircase, with the principal living spaces on the upper floors removed from the ground-level storage and utilitarian areas. The stonework, while weathered over the centuries, speaks to the skill of the masons who worked with the abundant local limestone. The surrounding landscape is quintessentially south Galway in character — open, low-lying pastoral farmland interspersed with hedgerows, stone walls, and patches of scrub, sitting at the boundary between the flat agricultural lands of east Galway and the more rugged limestone country that extends southward toward the Burren proper. The town of Gort lies a few kilometres to the north and serves as the main service centre for the area. Gort itself has associations with W.B. Yeats, who spent formative years at Coole Park nearby, and the whole district is rich in literary and historical resonance. Lough Cutra, a beautiful natural lake with its own castle, is also within a short distance, contributing to a landscape unusually dense with heritage sites for such a rural and sparsely populated area. Visiting Ardamullivan Castle requires some preparation, as it is a rural site without the visitor infrastructure of more prominent heritage monuments. Access is via small local roads in the Ardrahan and Gort area, and visitors should expect to navigate by map or GPS on unmarked or poorly signed routes. The castle is in State ownership and is classified as a National Monument, which affords it legal protection, though it does not have a staffed visitor centre or regular guided tours. Those arriving should wear sturdy footwear suitable for uneven ground and be prepared for the typical Irish rural setting — muddy laneways, livestock nearby, and the possibility of locked gates or limited roadside parking. The best times to visit are the drier months from late spring through early autumn, both for practical reasons of ground conditions and for the longer daylight hours that allow the stonework to be seen at its best in the soft western light. One of the more quietly fascinating aspects of Ardamullivan and the constellation of O'Shaughnessy tower houses in south Galway is what they collectively reveal about the density and sophistication of Gaelic lordship in this region before the upheavals of the seventeenth century. The family's name survives prominently in modern Ireland through the common surname O'Shaughnessy, and visiting their former stronghold offers a tangible, atmospheric connection to a world of Gaelic political culture that was largely erased or transformed within a few generations of the Cromwellian settlement. Standing beside the old limestone walls in the quietness of the Galway countryside, with little but birdsong and the distant sound of cattle to disturb the air, it is possible to feel something of the layered history of this part of Ireland in an unusually unmediated way.

Fiddaun Castle is a tower house situated between Lough Doo and Lough Aslaun, near the village of Tubber, about five miles south west of Gort. The most notable feature of this rectangular tower house is the remarkably well preserved inner bawn wall. The tower is a six storey structure with vaulted ceilings over the first and fifth floors, and an attic on the top floor. There are square box-shaped bartizans on the northern and southern corners at third floor level. The bawn is a rectangle with a three storey gatehouse in the north western wall, and a triangular point on the south west wall. The outer wall is now mostly in ruins, but at one tie enclosed a massive twelve acres. Facilities Fiddaun Castle is on private land and is now maintained by the Office of Public Works. Fiddaun Castle was built around 1574, and is one of three castles in the area owned by the O'Shaughnessy family. (The other O'Shaughnessy castles were Gort Castle, Ardamullivan Castle). Fiddaun guarded the western parts of the O'Shaughnessy lands. Most of the O'Shaugnessy land was forfeited in 1697 when Sir William O'Shaughnessy, who had fought as a captain in the Jacobite cause, was forced to flee to France. The O'Shaughnessy family continued to occupy Fiddaun Castle until 1729.

Aughanure Castle is situated 2 miles from the village of Oughterard, on the banks of the Drimneed River close to the shores of Lough Corrib. The Aughanure Castle site comprises of a well preserved tower house and circular watchtower with its stone corbelled roof and the ruins of a watch tower, banqueting hall and gatehouse with drawbridge. The tower with battlements is six storeys high. A stone spiral staircase leads to the upper rooms; the uppermost room has a new oak timbered roof. From here you can access the battlements for a view across the lake and surrounding countryside. Facilities The main attraction of the castle is some of the elaborate stone carvings especially in the ruined banqueting hall, some of the soldier's vantage points where they were able to attack unaware 'visitors' and the hiding places where they used to incarcerate prisoners. The castle is open daily between 09:30 - 18:00, April to September and during the rest of the year at weekends only. There are regular guided tours. The castle does not have its own restaurant but toilets are available for visitors. Aughanure Castle was thought to have been built by the Walter de Burgo and was home to the O'Flaherty clan in the 15th century. In 1572 the castle was badly damaged in a battle with the president of Connacht; Sir Edward Fitton and was subsequently rebuilt as it appears today, fortified by Morogh O'Flaherty. In 1618 King James I granted the castle to Hugh O'Flaherty but shortly after it fell into the hands of the Marquis of Clanrickarde who used it as a base against Cromwell's forces. In 1687 the castle was back in the hands of the O'Flaherty clan for a rent of 76 pounds per annum. In 1719 Bryan O'Flaherty bought the castle with the help of a mortgage which he borrowed from Lord Saint George but was unable to keep up the repayments and so the castle was lost again. The castle last changed hands in 1952 when the Commissioner for Public Works took over the building and restored the parapet, chimney and roof in 1963. It is now managed by the Heritage Service of the local government.

Dunguaire Castle is a tower house castle situated on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay, near the village of Kinvara in County Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. It is one of the most photographed castles in Ireland, owing largely to its remarkably picturesque setting directly on a small rocky promontory jutting into the bay, so that at high tide the structure appears almost to float on the water. Despite what the database entry suggests about a Midlands location, the coordinates 53.14219, -8.92629 place this castle firmly in County Galway in the west of Ireland, close to the boundary with County Clare and within the broader Burren region. The castle is a well-preserved example of a sixteenth-century Irish tower house and draws visitors from across the world who come to experience its history, its setting, and the medieval banquet evenings that were once a celebrated feature of the site. The castle was built around 1520 by the O'Hynes clan, specifically attributed to Ruaidhrí Mór O'Hynes, on the site of a much earlier royal fort. The name Dunguaire derives from the Irish Dún Guaire, meaning the fort of Guaire, a reference to Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin, a seventh-century king of Connacht celebrated in early Irish tradition for his legendary generosity and hospitality. The O'Hynes were a branch of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, an ancient Connacht dynasty, and this stretch of south Galway was their ancestral heartland. The castle passed through various hands over the centuries, including a period of ownership by the Anglo-Norman Martyn family, and later came into the possession of Oliver St. John Gogarty, the Irish surgeon, wit, and writer who was a significant figure in the Irish Literary Revival and a friend and sometime sparring partner of James Joyce. Gogarty purchased the castle in 1924 and undertook substantial restoration work, using it as a retreat and gathering place for literary figures of the era. It was subsequently owned by Christobel Lady Ampthill and later by Shannon Heritage, the organisation that operated medieval banquet evenings within its walls for many decades. Physically, Dunguaire is a compact and well-proportioned tower house of five storeys, built from local grey limestone and standing atop a small rocky outcrop enclosed by a bawn wall — a defensive courtyard enclosure also of stone. The tower rises with a pleasing solidity against the wide Connacht sky, its walls thick and slightly battered at the base in the manner typical of Irish tower houses of its period. Inside, the rooms are small and vaulted, connected by a tight spiral staircase that winds upward through the stone, and the upper chambers afford extraordinary views across the bay toward the limestone terraces of the Burren in County Clare. Approaching the castle by foot along the narrow road from Kinvara, the visitor is struck by how naturally the structure seems to belong to its shoreline setting, the grey of the stone echoing the grey of the bay on overcast days, and the whole ensemble reflecting in the still water when conditions are calm. The surrounding landscape is among the most distinctive in Ireland. Kinvara village, just a short walk from the castle, is a charming traditional harbour settlement with colourful shopfronts, pubs, and a working quay where Galway hookers — the traditional black-sailed wooden sailing boats of Connacht — are still moored and sailed. The annual Cruinniú na mBád festival, meaning the Gathering of the Boats, takes place here each August and brings these magnificent vessels together on the bay in a celebration that has become one of the great folk maritime events in the country. To the south and east lies the Burren, a vast karst limestone landscape of extraordinary ecological and archaeological richness, designated a UNESCO Global Geopark. The Cliffs of Moher are within reasonable driving distance, and Coole Park — the estate of Lady Augusta Gregory, another central figure of the Irish Literary Revival — lies inland to the northeast near Gort. For practical visitors, Kinvara is accessible by road on the N67 between Galway city and Ballyvaughan, roughly thirty kilometres south of Galway city and well signposted. There is a small car park near the castle. The castle has been managed by Shannon Heritage as a visitor attraction and has in the past offered guided tours of the interior as well as the famous medieval banquets held in the great hall, though visitors are advised to check current opening arrangements in advance as operational hours and seasonal access can vary. The site is at its most magical in the early morning or late evening when the light over Galway Bay is at its most dramatic, and autumn and spring offer the advantage of smaller crowds while still providing reasonable weather. The castle grounds and exterior can often be appreciated even when the interior is not open, and the shoreline walk around the promontory rewards careful exploration. One of the more compelling hidden details of Dunguaire is the literary thread that runs through its modern history. Oliver St. John Gogarty, who restored it in the 1920s, was immortalised by Joyce as Buck Mulligan in Ulysses, and the castle thus occupies a curious footnote in literary history as a real place deeply connected to one of the most celebrated novels of the twentieth century, even if Joyce himself is more associated with Dublin and Martello towers. The tradition of hospitality associated with the castle's namesake, King Guaire, holds that he was so generous that his right arm grew longer than his left from the constant act of giving to the poor — a charming piece of hagiographic legend that persists in local memory. The broader south Galway landscape in which the castle sits has been inhabited, farmed, and fought over for thousands of years, and on a clear day from the castle's upper windows, the view encompasses prehistoric field systems, early Christian sites, and the timeless limestone pavements of the Burren in one unbroken panorama.