castles historical cork

Built nearly 1000 years ago for the McCarthy Clan, Blarney Castle remains one of Ireland's oldest castles. Blarney Castle is a world-renowned attraction and should not be missed by anyone visiting the South West of Ireland.
The castle is full of historical treasures, which you can learn about if you visit and take a guided tour. Take time to explore the castle's beautiful surroundings also - they are truly breathtaking. Such sites include the Witches kitchen, the castle dungeons and t...

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....

A castle probably built by Sir Thomas Norreys who died in 1599. It is a long rectangular building with polygonal turrets (one incorporating a staircase) at the corners of the north wall. Wings project from the centre of the north and south walls, the northern one containing the entrance with a finely moulded doorway.

The windows are mullioned and have holes for muskets below them. The castle was besieged by Mountgarrett in 1642, but Jephson (who had married Sir Thomas Norrey's only da...

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.

T...

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...

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...

Situated on an outcrop of rock ('The Fairy Rock'), this is a 16th century tower of 4 storeys below a vaulted roof. There are turrets on opposing corners at the top.

It was built by the MacCarthys of Drishane, and Teig MacCarthy retired here after the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, but O'Sullivan Bere attacked and sacked the castle shortly afterwards.
There is also a stone circle two fields to the eat of the castle....

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....

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...

This charming informal garden on the banks of the Argideen river has been created by five generations of the Travers family.
The 121 ha estate was originally purchased with the village of Timoleague by Colonel Robert E. Travers in 1818 and he began laying out the grounds around the later Georgian house he built there. Each generation of the Travers family has added to the gardens over the intervening 160 years.

The gardens are a tribute to their plantsmanship and palm trees and ot...