A circa 1400-1500’s Irish castle house that has been almost completely restored and rebuilt.
It is only a few minutes from town, and there is plenty of free parking. Access to the grounds are free, and there are walking and biking trails here, so it is a popular place to spend an afternoon.
There are guided tours of the castle every hour, and tickets are only 5 Euros. The tour of the interior of the castle lasts about 45 minutes.
A bit of history:
Ross Castle is a tower house, built sometime in the late 15th century by the O’Donoghue family who ruled the Killarney area at the time.
About 1500
The castle was originally contained inside a strong bawn wall. Outside this, there was probably an earthen bank and wooden palisade which enclosed an area called the bailey. The thatched houses inside this were the homes of O’Donoghues’ retainers or possibly of hired soldiers.
About 1700
By 1700 the castle had changed hands twice. The O’Donoghues were allied with the Earl of Desmond during his failed rebellion and so the castle fell into the hands of the McCarthy Mor family. This was probably when the larger windows and bartizans were added. The castle was subsequently granted to an English land surveyor Sir Valentine Browne who, in 1688, built the fortified house against the side of the castle. To do this he demolished the west section of the bawn wall.
About 1800
By the mid-18th century the castle had become a garrison. Most of the bawn walls had been removed, Valentine Browne’s house had been demolished, and it had been necessary to support the north-west corner of the castle with a substantial buttress. A new barrack block was built, as well as additional accommodation on the west side. This drawing shows the castle shortly after the 1798 rising at a time when the English were expecting a French invasion.
When you book a Multi-Day Tour in Ireland or a Day Tour in Ross Castlen (Killarney National Park in County Kerry, Ireland) with Wonderway, these layers of stress are removed, ensuring that your experience is memorable for all the right reasons.
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