Castles of Ireland – On the Road Explorations

Have you ever thought of visiting one of those huge castles of Ireland that are seen in photos and reproduced for movies? Ireland is the perfect place for finding some of the most medieval ones. The country has a ton of them. And the best way to get to the most hidden ones is by driving.

A road trip along Ireland searching for the best castles is a lot of fun and can become of a great game with kids and everything is within a few hours of each other. The following are top five suggestions of the castles you might want to visit.

5 of best Castles of Ireland:

Photo by: John5199

1. Cahir Castle: This one is a must to visit if you if you love Castles from the feudal days with dungeons, towers and defenses. Plus it is one of the largest in the country. And super easy to get to.

2. Kilkenny Castle: This is one of Ireland’s most visited heritage sites. This eight centuries old Castle was extremely important for the local government for over 600 years and is now open to the public, so you will be able to tour its corridors.

3. Dublin Castle: At one point it was the Center of British power based in Ireland for more than 700 years and home to the world-famous Chester Beatty Library.

4. Dunguaire Castle: This one is located right along the sea and almost looks like it’s taken directly out of a chess game. Resembling a pawn. So walk past its defensive wall and go up the 75 foot look out tower for spectacular views. There are also some fun legends related to it, don’t forget to ask about them once you are there to experience how life once was in this Castle.

5. Rock of Cashel: This is yet another fortified home of kings. This one isn’t reconstructed but you can still see, as you walk among the ruins, how grand it must have been.

Note: It is best if you don’t do a road trip to any or all of these castles during the rainy season. Some of the more hidden Castles have tougher roads, however if you rent a 4×4 you can make it into an adventure your kids will never forget.

* This post was done in partnership with Enterprise Rent-a-Car but all opinions are my own.