Visit Irish Castles

Blarney Castle is probably what comes to your mind when you think of Ireland and Castles, but it is just one of the dozens upon dozens of castles to be found when you visit the Emerald Isle. It’s hard not to find a castle as you travel the countryside. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to go outside of Dublin to find a beautiful example.

If castles are your passion, you can find many tours that focus just on them. Many of the castles have even been revamped to accommodate guests and offer fine amenities. Indeed, one could take many vacations in Ireland before seeing all the fine castles.

Dublin Castle may be your introduction to these wonderful pieces of history. The building that can be seen today has only the Record Tower, dating from 1258, as part of the original castle. A fire in 1684 destroyed much of medieval Dublin Castle. By the early 1700s, construction of the structure that stands today had begun. The Castle was the seat of English Rule and is now the Governmental and ceremonial center for the Republic of Ireland. The Drawing Room, featuring an exquisite Waterford crystal chandelier, and the Throne Room must be seen.

Just north and west of Dublin, in County Meath, is Trim Castle, the largest and one of the most important military fortresses in Ireland. Erected by the Norman Hugh de Lacy in 1176, it has the reputation as the King of Irish Castles because of its unusual construction. It is generally believed that the genesis of the name Lacey or Lacy comes from Hugh, making this my favorite place, as my maiden name is Lacey. When we visited this castle, I warned my husband that I’d be buying everything in sight in the souvenir shop. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The restoration and tours of the Castle are administered by the Irish Government, so there is no Blarney ballyhoo here. Oh, and some may be interested to note that the movie Braveheart was filmed at Trim Castle.

Moving on to Westmeath, we find Athlone Castle, sitting on the River Shannon. The castle was a 13th century fortress, which was badly damaged in the Jacobite Wars. From here, close by, you’ll want to visit the ruins at Clonmacnoise, a medieval monastery founded by St. Ciaran in 545. The center thrived from the 7th to 12th centuries and is the burial site for many of the Kings of Tara.

To the north, we find Carrickfergus Castle, guarding the entrance to Belfast Lough. Construction was begun in 1180 by John De Courcy, who was the leader of the Anglo-Norman force invading Ulster. It has been called the finest and best-preserved Norman castle in Ireland. Dundrum Castle, to the south, was also built buy de Courcy.

North to the Antrim coast, takes us to Dunluce Castle, precariously perched on a steep crag. The wind and sea washed away the kitchen and several cooks and most of the servants in 1639. Down the West Coast, we come to Enniskillen, once the stronghold of the Gaelic Mcguire chieftains.

Back down the west coast, through Northwest, on down to Galway and further, the intrepid traveler can’t help but find castle after castle, the description of which would, and does, fill several books. Nor have I touched on the many fortresses of the central Counties.

Don’t think of the Castles of Ireland as all being in pieces and ruins. There are an extraordinary number of them still occupied by their owners and considered homes. As mentioned above, many have been refitted to accommodate paying guests. How about including sleeping in a castle as part of your adventure?

I’ll leave it to you to continue our exploration (a search for Irish Castles brings the opportunity to explore over 1 million websites). This article is meant only to whet your appetite, to encourage your exploration of the Castles of Ireland online, and, more importantly, to encourage your own trip to Ireland to discover and explore them yourself.