castles historical cork

Centrepiece of Baltimore is the ruin of the 17th century castle, seat of the O'Driscoll clan....

Now in Ruins, this area has views of the harbour....

The world renowned Blarney Castle and the legendary Blarney Stone can be found in the charming village of Blarney, just 7km north of Cork city in County Cork.

Built nearly 1000 years ago for the McCarthy Clan, Blarney Castle remains one of Ireland's oldest castles. Blarney Castle and the world famous Blarney Stone should not be missed by anyone visiting the South West of Ireland.


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The kernel of the castle is a stout mid-13th century keep, almost square in plan and with walls more than 6 feet thick. The upper floors were originally made of wood, and the holes for the massive beams supporting them are still visible in the walls.

The keep is protected by an irregularly shaped curtain wall, and the corners of the stretch overlooking the river are further fortified by round turrets.

On the landward side, the gate-house of the 13th century castle was incorpor...

A fine four-storey castle which is said to be older than the date of 1585 given in a window-recess on the top floor.
It was built by Randal Hurley who married Catherine Cullinane. She may be the person whose initials are given as 'C.C.' in a window inscription on the top floor.

The carvings and decorations in these windows are the most unusual feature of this castle; one shows a woman with three roses, thought to be Catherine Cullinane and her three children, and the other has a...

The remains of a square castle with rounded turrets at the corners and surrounded by a moat.
Although in the style of the castles of the 13th century, it was built in the 15th or 16th century, probably by the Cogans from whom it was acquired by the Earls of Desmond....

Kinsale can easily claim its place amongst Ireland's most historic locations for this has been a centre of population, commerce, trade and fishing far beyond memory and record.

In its earliest days the estuary of the Bandon River gave it great importance as the river is tidal as far as Innishannon and water transport was dominant until the 18th Century. The estuary also provided excellent anchorage for ancient shipping which went in peril of the vagaries of the weather.

The t...

The castle is rectangular in shape with massive square towers at each corner. The main block has four storeys, the towers have five. There is a fine Renaissance door in the first floor on the north side and a more traditional pointed door on the ground floor on the south side.

The flat 'Burgundian' arch is a feature of the ground-floor windows, while those on the upper storey and Tudor with two or three mullion. The castle has a remarkable number of well-preserved fireplaces.

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This castle was once the club-house of Monkstown Golf-club, from 1908 to 1971. At the moment the castle is under reconstruction and will not be finished until April 2009!

This castle was built by Anastasia Archdeacon, nee Gould, about 1636.
She built it while her husband was away at sea, and having deducted the cost of the mason's board and lodgings from the total cost, she found she had only paid 4d for the whole castle.

It consists of a...

The ruins of Roches Castle and three churches are set in a very natural setting near Glanworth.
Near these ruins is the Thirteen Arch Bridge which was built in 1600.
Built over the River Funcheon, it is one of the oldest of its kind found in Ireland....