Secret nooks, hideaways, gorgeous silver table servings, tea time, Persian rugs, Belgian china, fine antique furniture made by craftsmen for those who expected the very best.  Indulge your fantasies.   Ireland has some of the finest castles in Europe—this is what happens when you are a country with an incredibly rich past. Below is a list of some of the famous castles in Ireland.  Some are ruins, some tourist attractions and some are luxury hotels where you can be treated like royalty.

• A complete list of Irish Castles that you can stay a night (or two!) in during your vacation

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  Bunratty Castle, Bunratty Clare

  Bunratty Castle was built in 1425.  It is a restored castle that now offers banquets and evenings of ribald good times.  A day and evening spent at Bunratty gives one an incomparable perspective on life during the medieval period.  Want to walk back in time and get a real feel for the joys and troubles of the past?  Go to Bunratty Castle.  We offer a medieval castle banquet dinner or a traditional folk evening with music and dance at this castle. Add one of these to your travels!
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  Dunluce Castle, Antrim

  Built in 1305, Dunluce Castle was expanded between the 14th and 17th centuries to become one of the most glorious castles in the north.   After a walk around the grounds, stop in at nearby Bushmill’s Distillery and the Giant’s Causeway. 
  
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  Dunguaire Castle, Galway Bay

  This castle was built in 1520, but it was the original site of King Guaire in the 7th century.   The castle was built upon the same site of royal power.  
  
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  Knappogue Castle, Quin, County Clare

  This castle was built in 1467.  Oliver Cromwell used it as his base while pillaging the countryside in the 17th century, so it was kept in very good shape.  (This is “The glass is half-full,” outlook on colonization!) Knappogue is regal; it is breathtaking.  Knappogue was the first home of the McNamara clan who dominated this area, with the O’Briens, for over 1,000 years.  (Fallen into disrepair, it was rescued by a Texan and restored to its former glory, including 15th century furnishings, for the pure love of the place.  As we’ve noted, everyone is at home in Ireland one way or the other.)   For the past ten years there have been nightly banquets and a good time is had by all!
  
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  Brazen Head Pub, Dublin

  While not technically a castle, this pub dates back to 1198 - older than most castles in Ireland!  Walking into Brazen is a most extraordinary experience.  As a matter of fact, we have put together a package that offers food, folk, and faeries night at Brazen.  This is a fanciful way of saying that at Brazen Head, we can give you an evening that could only happen in Ireland, complete with storytelling and a traditional dinner by candlelight.
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  Waterford Castle
  

  This castle is 800 years old.  Grasp the reality of that….  800 years old, and we can arrange for you to spend the night there. Or several.  We include it on our Irish Opulence package. It is secluded on an island on the River Suir.  How to arrive?  The same way the earliest inhabitants did—take a boat in the moonlight.  The keep is Norman; it is original and restored.  The wings are Elizabethan.  more information on this castle >
  
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  Dromoland Castle, Clare

  Built in the early 1500s, originally a tower house, it became a castle in 1686.  Over the years there have been at least three houses on the site called Dromoland. The castle housed eight generations of the O'Brien family. Early records tell us that the area was also occupied by other local Gaelic families such as the McInerney’s. Dromoland translates as the Hill of Litigation.   Today it is a fantasy of turrets and towers and the stuff of dreams.  It stands in a lush park where beautiful red deer roam. We offer this castle as part of our Irish Castles & Manors and Irish Opulence Packages. More information on this castle >
  
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  Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo

  Ashford was built in 1228, and is a medieval castle near Cong in County Mayo, on the shore of Lough Corrib.  The castle has hosted notable guests, including King George V of the U.K., Queen Mary, Oscar Wilde (his father, Sir William Wilde, had an estate next to to Ashford where the author, playwright and poet spent much of his childhood), Ronald Reagan, Prince Edward,  U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, John Wayne, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Princess Grace.
  
  In 1870 the castle was restored by the Guinness family.  It is now one of the top places to stay in Ireland, and Authentic Irelad has a special relationship with Ashford that will make your stay even more sumptious.  You can also arrive at this castle by boat, making for quite an entrance. This castle is featured in our Irish Castles & Manors Package. More information on this castle >
  
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  Kinnitty Castle, Birr
  

  The earliest evidence of human habitation in Ireland occurs in 6500 BC at Lough Boora, County Offaly.  This is just a 15 minute drive from Kinnitty Castle. These early people would have hunted and gathered on the edge of lakes that are now peat bogs.  During certain times, they would have moved to the Slieve Mountains—there are amazing views of the countryside from this range.
  
  What are the Slieves?  They are renowned for being the birthplace and early home of legendary Finn MaCool, along with being the spawning ground of the Salmon of Knowledge which brought him the wisdom of the world. The castle itself has a long and colorful history, dating back to ancient times. Located on ancient Druid ceremonial grounds, the area around Kinnitty is considered by many to be the very breath of Ireland.
  
  The  O’Carroll’s occupied the territory around Kinnitty.  By the 11th century, it is believed they had over 40 castles in the area.  (One is just behind the current castle.)  Kinnitty is one of the strongholds of the O'Carroll family, and one of their direct descendants, Charles Go O'Carroll, was a signer of the US Declaration of Independence. More information on this castle >
  
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  Ballyseede Castle, Tralee

  Ballyseede was built in the 15th century.  It is a beautiful stone-cut building.  Some of its interior architeccture is unique in all of Ireland.
  
  Ballyseede Castle was the chief fort of the legendary Fitzgeralds.  Many of these people refused to swear allegiance to the Crown of England.  This resulted in the Geraldine Wars which continued on and off for three centuries.  The family finally lost the fight, plus the castle and 3,000 acres.  This all became the property of the Crown.  Castle and property were then given to one Robert Blennerhassett with the strange rent of one red rose per year to be presented on Midsummer’s Day.   That family held on to the castle until 1966. More information on this castle >
  
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  Cabra Castle, Cavan

  Cabra Castle was built  in 1760.  It is not of medieval origin, but the area that the castle was built is part of the heart of medieval Ireland.  Cabra overlooks 88 acres of gardens and parks.  Let your imagination wander back to the time this castle was built.  The very earth it was built upon is mystical and extraordinary.  This is a most incredible place from which to explore the Lake Country.  As does all of Ireland, it has its own particular sort of mystery and magic that is enhanced by a stay in this magnificent setting. More information on this castle >
  
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  Glin Castle, Limerick, Ireland

  Built around 1400 AD, Glin Castle was voted as the number one castle in Europe by Trip Advisor, and placed on the 2008 Conde Nast Gold List.
  
  Glin Castle, home of the Knight of Glin and his wife Madam FitzGerald, stands on the banks of the River Shannon in County Limerick on 500 acres. Visitors may stay between March and November and at other times by special arrangement.  Home to the Knights of Glin for over 700 years, the current castle was built in 1785.  Gardens, glens, farmland… if you want to stay, it can be arranged, but only in advance and during certain times of the year.  As it was for the Knights of Glin, it is pure magic. More information on this castle >
  
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  Clontarf Castle, Dublin

  The first castle on the grounds, of which no trace remains, was built in 1172 by either Hugh de Lacy, lord of Meath, or his tenant Adam de Phepoe. Clontarf was subsequently held by the Knights Templar and, after their suppression in 1308, passed to the Knights Hospitaller, until they were in turn deprived of it at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The last prior, Sir John Rawson, became Clontarf in 1541 in return for surrendering the castle and its lands to the Crown.
  
  In 1600 Queen Elizabeth I gave the entire estate to Sir Geoffrey Fenton, her secretary of state for Ireland.  Through marriage, it passed onto his descendants to the King family.  George King of Clontarf participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and his lands were taken away.  Meaning…he lost Clontarf. 

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