37 castles, from Norman keeps to the tower houses that Gaelic and Anglo-Irish families raised in their hundreds — and the ones that are now four walls and a jackdaw.
Ballinacarriga Castle (Béal na Carraige in Irish, meaning Mouth of the Rock) is a 16th-century tower house located in the village of Ballinacarriga, about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the town of Dunmanway and 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) from the village of Ballineen. It is a ruin but in good structural condition.
Ballincollig Castle is a Norman castle to the south of the town of Ballincollig, County Cork, Ireland, built after the Norman invasion of Ireland. In its prime, the castle was inhabited by the Barrett family, who had control of the local area. The castle still stands today, albeit largely in ruin.
Ballymaloe House ( BAL-ee-mə-LOO; Irish: Baile Uí Mhaolmhuaidh, lit. 'Molloy House') is a country house with a hotel and dining facilities, located in Shanagarry in County Cork, Ireland. Traces of a 15th-century castle remain within its fabric.
Barryscourt Castle (Caisleán Chúirt an Bharraigh in Irish) is a castle located in eastern County Cork in southern Ireland, close to the town of Carrigtwohill.
Belvelly Castle is a 14th or 15th-century tower house in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated next to the small village of Belvelly, opposite and overlooking the only road bridge connecting Fota Island to Great Island (on which the town of Cobh is situated).
Blackrock Castle is a castellated fortification located at Blackrock, about 2 km from Cork city centre on the banks of the River Lee in Ireland. Originally developed as a coastal defence fortification in the 16th century to protect upper Cork Harbour and port, the site now houses an observatory, visitor centre and restaurant.
Blackwater Castle, also and formerly known as Castle Widenham, is a privately owned estate located in the village of Castletownroche between the towns of Mallow and Fermoy in north County Cork, Ireland.
Blarney Castle (Irish: Caisleán na Blarnan) is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, a town in Cork, Ireland. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446.
Carriganass Castle (Caisleán Charraig an Easa in Irish, meaning The Castle on the Rock of the Waterfall) is a 16th-century tower house in County Cork. It is situated about 8 kilometres north-east of Bantry, close to the village of Kealkill, in West Cork.
Carrigaphooca Castle (Irish: Caisleán Charraig a' Phúca meaning "castle on the rock of the fairy"; the word púca translates as ghost or fairy) is a ruined five storey rectangular tower house situated on a steep-sided rock overlooking the River Sullane.
Carrignacurra Castle is a stone-built tower house constructed in County Cork, Ireland, as the chief seat of the O'Leary family. It was built to defend a ford across the River Lee about 1.5 km east of Inchigeelagh village, on a historic route between Macroom and Dunmanway.
Carrigrohane Castle is located in the village of Carrigrohane, barony of Barretts in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated on a rocky cliff-edge which overlooks the River Lee.
Castle Donovan (Irish: Caisleán Uí Dhonnabháin) or Castledonovan or O'Donovan's Castle refer to the remains of an Irish tower house or túrtheach, in a valley near Drimoleague, of medium size which was the so-called "seat" of the Clann Cathail sept of the O'Donovans for a period during the 16th century.
Castle Harrison, formerly Castle Dodd, was a great house close to Ballyhea and Charleville, in north County Cork, Ireland. The seat of the Harrison family for some time, the house was demolished in the 1950s.
Castle Salem is a fortified house near Rosscarbery, in County Cork, Ireland. The house was home to the Morris family from around 1660 until the early 1800s, and was bought in 1895 by the Daly family, descendants of whom now run it as a guest house.
Castlepook or Castle Pook is a Norman style castle built in 1380 by the Synan family. The castle's ruin is 4 km north of Doneraile, in the foothills of the Ballyhoura Mountains in County Cork, Ireland. Castlepook is made of limestone, with a stone vaulted roof which is still intact.
Cloghan Castle (Irish: An Clochán) is a ruined tower house on Castle Island in Lough Hyne in West Cork, Ireland. Although it no longer stands, it was originally at least three storeys tall.
Desmond Castle (Irish: Caisleán Deasmhumhan) is a tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland.
Drishane Castle is a MacCarthy tower house and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. In modern times the name is also used to refer to the adjacent house which dates from the 18th century. It is located 2.2 km (1.4 mi) northeast of Millstreet, on the south bank of the Munster Blackwater.
Dromagh Castle (Irish: Caisleán Dhromach) is a ruined tower house located near the village of Dromagh, County Cork, Ireland. Built in the late 16th century by Art Ó Caoimh, it served as the principal seat of the O'Keeffe clan, one of the prominent Gaelic families of north Cork.
Dromaneen Castle is a fortified house and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. It was one of the three main castles of the ancient O’Callaghan clan. The ruin is that of a Jocobean mansion and it is said to have been built by Caher O’Callaghan in around 1610.
Dunasead Castle (Irish: Dún na Séad, meaning 'fort of the jewels'), sometimes known as Baltimore Castle, is a 17th-century fortified house situated in the town of Baltimore in County Cork, Ireland. The tower house is built on the site of an earlier Norman-era structure, which itself replaced an earlier Bronze Age ringfort.
Dunboy Castle (Irish: Caisleán Dhún Baoi) is a ruined 15th-century castle on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland near the town of Castletownbere. The castle's tower house and bawn were destroyed in the 1602 Siege of Dunboy, though its ruins remain open to the public.
Dundanion Castle (Irish: Dún Daingean, meaning 'firm fortress') is a Tudor tower house in the Blackrock area of Cork in Ireland. Previously known as Galwey's Castle, the ruin is located on the grounds of the much later "Dundanion House".
Dunlough Castle, standing atop the cliffs at the northern tip of the Mizen Peninsula, looks at the Atlantic Ocean from the extreme southwest point of Ireland. Founded in 1207 by Donagh O’Mahony, Dunlough is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and an example of Norman architecture and dry stone masonry.
Dunmanus Castle is a 15th-century coastal gothic tower house located on a rock outcrop on the southern side of Dunmanus Bay in West Cork, Ireland.
Kilbolane Castle is a historical fortification atop Kilbolane Hill, half a kilometre from the village of Milford, County Cork, Ireland. The castle was built in the 15th or 16th century but employed a 13th-century Norman style with high walls joined by circular guard towers and surrounded by a moat, similar to Liscarroll and Ballincollig.
Kilcoe Castle is a 15th-century coastal tower house located on a 0.81 ha (2 acres) island, called Mannin Beg, in the Kilcoe townland in Roaringwater Bay in West Cork, Ireland.
Kilcolman Castle is a tower house located in County Cork, Ireland. It was formerly the residence of the poet Edmund Spenser.
Kilcrea Castle is a ruined 15th-century towerhouse and bawn located near the Kilcrea Friary, west of Cork City, Ireland. The tower house and friary were both built by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry.
Liscarroll Castle is a 13th-century Hiberno-Norman fortress in County Cork, Ireland. In July 1642, at the start of the Irish Confederate Wars, the castle was seized by Irish Confederate forces commanded by Garret Barry.
Macroom Castle, in the centre of the town of Macroom, was once residence and fortress of the Lords of Muskerry. The castle has changed owners many times, has been besieged, burned, and rebuilt.
Mallow Castle is a National Monument situated off the N72 on Bridewell Lane, Mallow, County Cork, Ireland.
Mitchelstown Castle, the former home of the Anglo Irish Earls of Kingston, was located in the north County Cork town of Mitchelstown in Ireland.
Penn Castle or Shanagarry Castle is a house incorporating a crenellated tower house in Shanagarry, County Cork in Ireland. Originally built up from c. 1450 as a defensive castle by the Power (De la Poer) family, the building also contains elements of structures from 1650, 1750 and 1900.
Togher Castle (Irish: Caisleán an Tóchair), is a late 16th century tower house primarily known for its association with the MacCarthys of Gleannacroim.
Tynte's Castle (; Irish: Caisleán Tynte) is a tower house located in Youghal, eastern County Cork, Ireland.
Descriptions are Wikipedia's own opening lines, used under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a link to each article; the list and the coordinates come from the same place. Nothing here is a guide to access — many of these are private homes or stand in private fields.
What stood in Cork before anybody thought of building a keep.