Castles of Ireland

Dublin Castle

Dublin, Jamestown, St. Castle, 16

Castles of Ireland Dublin Castle is the main government building. It was built on the orders of King John the Landless after the assault of the Normans. Today, Dublin Castle hosts conferences and meetings of important persons. When there are no governmental meetings in the castle, it is open to tourists.

Castle of Cair

Tipperary, Cahir, St. Castle

Castles of Ireland Castle Keir is located on an island in the middle of the river Shur in the county of Trippeari. Thanks to the wise policy of their owners - "always give up without a fight" - it's built in the 12th century. the castle is perfectly preserved. In the castle museum you can see the miniature "Capture the Castle of Caer" consisting of 1,000 soldier figures.

Bunratty Castle

Bunratty, Co. Clare, Bansha, N68 Rd

Ireland Castles Bunratty Castle is an amazing treasure of Ireland, envied by the whole world. Noteworthy are not even perfectly preserved walls of the medieval citadel, but first of all the situation is 15-16 centuries - a rarity in our times is immense.

Clononi Castle

Offaly, Shannon Harbor, Clonony Castle

Castles Ireland Castle of Clononi - the residence of the Tudors and the place of repose of the regal sisters Boleyn. The architectural dominant of the castle is a 15-meter tower, on the territory there are picturesque gardens surrounded by a moat. In Clononi there are all the basic elements of fortification: machiculi, killer holes, spiral staircase and courtyard.

Castle-rock Cashel

Tipperary, Ln. Rock, Cashel

Castles of Ireland The Kashel Rock is a castle that served as the residence of the kings of Munster. It was erected in the 4th century, and a century later Saint Patrick lived and preached here. After the invasion of Cromwell, Cashel became a symbol of the staunchness of the Irish people. Today you can see numerous residential and economic buildings.

Charleville Castle

Offaly, Tullamore, Charleville Castle

Castles of Ireland Charleville Forest Castle, which served as the coronation center of the Stuart Dynasty, is one of the most beautiful in Ireland. Built in the Gothic style and well preserved, it towers over the Shannon River near Tulmor.

Typically Irish landscape - boundless emerald hills and plains with majestic ancient castles rising from under the earth. The country is literally dotted with these medieval buildings and feudal estates scattered throughout its territory, especially many fortresses in the western part of the island. Irish castles are even considered an unofficial symbol of the country.

The history of castles in Ireland is

The oldest Irish castles were built by the Celts, Normans and even Vikings, at different times they looked different and were meant for different needs. The construction of the first castles on the Emerald Isle dates from the beginning of the 12th century, shortly after the invasion of England by the armies of William the Conqueror, and almost immediately the castle construction in Ireland became massive.

In those years, castles were used mainly for defensive and political purposes: besides military tasks, military assemblies were convened there, various plans were discussed and decisions were made.

Originally for the construction of castles, only logs and land were used, so the buildings characteristic of this time were a round main log tower erected in the center of the shaft, which was surrounded on all sides by a deep moat. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries castles learned to build from stone, and this was a significant technical breakthrough.

Primitive constructions are in the past, they were replaced by square buildings with powerful walls and high towers, in such conditions the residents felt completely safe..Fortresses began to be built closer to the reservoirs, in order to control the river ways .A characteristic example of the castles of that era is the castle of Trim, consisting of a main tower, a courtyard and a massive fortification wall with angular towers .A worthy example of the castle construction of the turn of the 15th-17th centuries was Bunratty Castle, located in Clare County, today the castle was given the status of the national treasure of Ireland .

Medieval giants today are

Unfortunately, many Irish castles have not survived to our time, from others there were only ruins, which, by the way, are no less valuable than their surviving brethren. The fate of castles, saved from the destructive power of time, developed in different ways.

Some of the surviving castles in Ireland after the reconstruction in them have become hotels, and any tourist - a happy owner of a tight purse - can afford to spend a couple of nights in authentic apartments with antique furniture, wander through the medieval halls in which the English and Irish aristocrats.

The cost of a standard room starts from 300 EUR per day, and apartments with an increased level of comfort will cost 1000-1100 EUR.

The preserved and restored Irish castles have found other uses. In some of them museums were opened, others specialize in excursions with dinners in medieval style, and in some still live the descendants of eminent Irish clans.

Castle of Cashel in Ireland

As a rule, all the castles of Ireland available to tourists have at their disposal a large green area with lakes, rivers, forests and a variety of cultural entertainment.

Almost every county in Ireland has preserved ancient castles. Among the most famous are Ballelli, Calduill, Bunratti, Ballintobir, Carrakefirgus, Clogheng, the castles of King John in Limerick and Lowte, Monie, Donsoghlay. Tell you about the most-most (to our taste, of course).