South West Ireland's Castles & Ancient Settlements

Situated five miles north-west of Cork city, Blarney Castle is a solid fixture on almost any tour of Ireland itinerary. It is best known for the famous "Blarney Stone" which visitors are encouraged to kiss, in accordance with a tradition that spans the centuries. Those who kiss the Blarney Stone are said to magically receive the "gift of the gab", — or as we call it in Ireland... a load of old Blarney.

Built over 600 years ago by Cormac MacCarthy, one of Ireland's greatest chieftains, Blarney Castle has attracted millions of visitors who continue to flock here hoping to be gifted with the power of persuasive and elegant speech. Visitors can now explore the castle's stunning gardens and interior, including the winding staircase and dungeons.

1

During the mid-17th century Irish Confederate Wars, the castle was besieged by British forces led by Oliver Cromwell's commander, Lord Broghill. It was eventually captured after heavy bombardment, resulting in its partial destruction.

While not the largest or most imposing of Irish castles, Blarney Castle has a certain charm and elegance that's hard to forget. You can also look inside the adjacent Blarney House, a stately mansion built during the 18th century and the nearby Blarney Woollen Mills, an Irish heritage shop famous for its wool garments and a fantastic café!

Located alongside the River Shannon in County Limerick, on King's Island lies the 13th century castle named St John's Castle. Dating back as far as 922, to a time when Vikings were the inhabitants of the island (Thormodr Helgason, the Viking sea-king, built the first settlement on the island), the actual castle was built in 1200 under the instruction of King John of England. Having taken over power of Limerick, from the Vikings in 1194, the castle was built to act as a guard from the Gaelic kingdoms to the west and other Norman lords invading from the South and East. Under the rule of King John, the city of Limerick went from strength to strength.

2

Part of the castle was irreparably damaged during the siege of Limerick. From 2011–2013 there was euro5.7 million spent in a huge redevelopment of the castle to improve the visitor facilities and today the King John's Castle stands as one of Limerick's proudest attractions.

Ross Castle, found on the majestic Lough Leane in Killarney National Park, dates back to the 15th century. It was first built by the ruling clan of the time, O'Donoghues Mor, and later changed hands to MacCarthy Mor. It was one of the last castles to surrender power to English political leader Oliver Cromwell during the Irish Confederate Wars (between 1641 and 1653). The castle stood its ground until the British brought artillery via boat along the River Laune. In an amazing piece of foresight, there was an old Irish priphecy that read: "Ross may all assault disdain. Till on Lough Lein strange ship shall sail."

3

First build by Queen Elizabeth I in response to the people of Cork's demand for a structure to guard against pirates attacking ships entering the harbour, Blackrock Castle is a circular tower located on the water's edge. The foundation was laid in 1582 and the round tower was added in 1600. From this time, until it was destroyed by fire in 1827, Blackrock Castle was used by the City of Cork as a location for banquets and gatherings.

4

In 2007, Cork Institute of Technology and Cork City Council redeveloped the castle as a public astronomy center. There is also a highly rated restaurant and café on the ground floor.

Skellig Michael, also known as Great Skellig, is a rocky outcrop island located 11.6 km to the west of the Iveragh Peninsula in Country Kerry. Sceilig Bheag (Little Skellig), its twin island is small and completely inaccessible. Skellig Michael is a world heritage site and was used as a monastic settlement by monks in the 7th century. Hollywood came calling to the island in 2014 when Episode VII of the Star Wars franchise chose it as a location for its final scene. The location was chosen for its otherworldly appearance thanks to its unique combination of Old Red Sandstone and compressed slate.

5

To visit Skellig Michael you will have to book a landing tour with one of the boat operators. We advise to book your tour well in advance as only 180 people are allowed to access the island each day. The landing tours are subject to weather conditions and can be cancelled if they are bad. The boat trip normally takes around an hour and the visit to Skellig Michael approximately 2,5 hours. Most boat tours leave from Portmagee pier and are available from May to the beginning of October.

Drombeg Stone Circle is what's known as Recumbent stone circle, one where a large monolith stone is lying on its side. This type of stone circle is only found in two locations on earth, near Aberdeen in Scotland and the south-west of Ireland. Drombeg Stone Circle is made up of 13 stones, the most westerly of these being the large Recumbent stone. All of the other stones have been set to slope towards the Recumbent stone. A 1957 excavation of the site found radiocarbon dating of items to date back as far as 1100-800 BC. In the centre of the circle the excavation also found evidence of a burial site.

6

Uragh Stone Circle stands near Gleninchaquin Park in County Kerry. The circle is made up of five small stones with a three-metre tall monolith standing beside it. Recently, the centre of the circle has been dug up, presumably by people looking for treasure of some kind.

7

Grange Stone Circle, located near Loch Gur in County Limerick is the largest in Ireland. Its near-perfect shape and the discovery of a posthole at its centre means that a rope was more than likely used to measure the diameter of the stones. Late Neolithic Beaker pottery was discovered during an excavation of the site. The 113 stones of the circle are not free-standing, they all rest upon one another and form a diameter of 150 feet.

8