Special Interest Tours of Ireland

Kilkenny CastleCastles, towers and old fortified buildings can be found in every part of Ireland. Some have been continuously inhabited for hundreds of years, others have been restored or turned to alternative use, often as hotels, while many are in ruins, a few remaining walls the only sign of their previous glory.

Touring Ireland's castle will take you to some of the most interesting and historic locations in the country and it is a very rewarding theme for an Irish tour.

Castle Tour Itineraries

A Driving Tour of Connemara One Day Tour of Connemara
Tour itinerary for a one-day self-drive tour of Connemara, including Clifden, the Sky Road, Kylemore Abbey and Maam Cross.

Tour from Shannon to Galway Shannon to Galway
A half-day tour, suitable as a tour en route for those arriving in Shannon Airport and heading for Galway, but equally doable in the reverse direction.

For more castle tour itineraries, see these free brochures, which are for a range of organised tours that have an emphasis on seeing castles.

A (very) Brief History of Irish Castles

Irish castles tend not to be as grand as their English counterparts. Although originally owned by the heads of clans, by kings or by English gentry, with Ireland's chequered history of more or less constant warfare they needed to be heavily fortified against enemy attack as well as serving as suitably imposing homes. Thus sturdy but plain construction was preferred over elaborate decoration - these were not the Royal Palaces of popular imagination, but they were very effective in keeping you alive when the enemy came to call!

The Irish began to build fortifications in Ireland soon after the Norman Invasion in the 1100's. Most of these medieval strongholds were built of stone and used by those who built them, and later by successive invaders, as defensive dwellings or military quarters. In the 16th and 17th century many were handed to those loyal to English Kings, as a reward for their loyalty.

Castle RuinFew exist in their original state - those that continued to be occupied were added to over the centuries and tend to have a mix of architecture from various different periods.

Others simply fell into disuse and ruin, though it has to be said that these romantic ruins are a very attractive and photogenic part of the Irish landscape.

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