This is a big trip for us and I’d hate to come home having missed the best of Ireland’s castles. There are so many I can’t tell which are genuinely worth building the days around and which are a quick photo stop. For anyone who’s been, which ones made your trip?
I love visiting castles when travelling; even staying in Castle Hotels, where we can.
One year we even made a calendar on Castles in France. It was hard to choose just twelve for that.
For Ireland, there are probably eight to ten castles that are truly worth a visit, we can maybe even narrow it down to a top five.
We may need to think about your intended itinerary and the regions you’re planning to visit.
Some castles will fit naturally into your days, while others may need a detour.
Kilkenny Castle should probably be top of the list (for the full ‘grand estate’ experience).
Also consider Cahir Castle (medieval fortress), Kylemore Abbey (romantic), and Blarney Castle (for the gardens and ‘Gift of the Gab’ Blarney Stone).
A lot also depends on your interests: history, scenery or immersive experiences; or should we consider the full spectrum: fortress, ruin, estate, abbey, and dramatic scenery.
I like to focus on immersive castle experiences.
In which case Bunratty Castle and Folk Park offers an insight into Ireland’s most interactive medieval world; the closest thing Ireland has to a ‘living medieval village’.
For historically significant castles in Ireland, Trim Castle is Ireland’s largest Norman fortress.
Not technically a castle, Rock of Cashel was the power centre of the Kings of Munster.
Dublin Castle may no longer be a fortress, but for over 700 years it was the seat of English, and later British, administration in Ireland.
King John’s Castle was built on the River Shannon.
In Northern Ireland, Carrickfergus Castle is one of the most intact Norman castles anywhere and shows off its sea-facing defences after 800 years of continuos military use.
For dramatic scenery, the ruin of Dunluce Castle is perched on a basalt cliff above the crashing waves of the Atlantic.
