Overview
On the night of 11 August 1690, Patrick Sarsfield’s cavalry slipped out of besieged Limerick, rode a wide loop through the hills, and blew up the Williamite army’s entire siege train where it had camped beside a conical rock at Ballyneety. Contemporary accounts call the blast the loudest man-made sound heard in Ireland to that point, and it bought the city another year of resistance. The field around the rock is still cratered from it.
That, and a golf course that keeps winning awards, are why you would stop at Ballyneety – a village of about 600 people on the R512 some 10 km south of Limerick city, with a post office, a credit union, a garden centre and a few takeaways along the road. The Irish is Baile an Fhaoitigh, ‘town of the Whites’, from the Norman surname de Faoite.
The Sarsfield raid site
The tower-house known as Ballyneety Castle (or Whitestown Castle) once stood here, prominent enough to be marked on the 17th-century Down Survey maps, but it is long gone, brought down in part by the 1690 explosion. Don’t come expecting a ruin to walk around. What you get is a field, a distinctive conical rock, and the pitted ground the blast left behind.
Sarsfield led roughly 500 horsemen against the siege train, having learned the Williamite password – which, by legend, happened to be ‘Sarsfield’ itself. His men overran the guards, packed the captured cannon with powder, piled up the ammunition and set it off. A stone monument, unveiled in 1975 by President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, stands beside the rock, with interpretive panels on the raid and the castle. It is free and open all year. Come early: the low morning light across the rock and the Limerick hills is the best of it, and it is a quiet, reflective spot rather than a staffed attraction.
Ballyneety Golf Club
A short drive from the field is Ballyneety Golf Club, an 18-hole parkland course laid out across rolling countryside with views towards Limerick and Adare. Designed by former Ryder Cup player Des Smyth and opened in 1994, it was named Great Britain and Ireland Golf Course of the Year in 2025 and will host the 2027 Junior Ryder Cup, the junior event running ahead of the senior tournament at nearby Adare Manor.
Visitors are welcome. There is a Trackman driving range with covered bays and swing studios, PGA coaching and club fitting, and caddies by arrangement (book at least 48 hours ahead). The Vines Bar & Grill looks out over the 18th green and cooks with local produce. Beyond golf, the club runs a community hub with a floodlit walking track, an astroturf pitch and a Men’s Shed.
Booking
Tee times are booked online, with early-morning and twilight slots the cheapest. Non-members can use the pro shop, range and restaurant during the day. For current prices, contact the club on 061 351 881 or info@ballyneetygolfclub.com.
Around the village
Ballyneety works as a practical base for south Limerick. Beyond the amenities on the main street there is a petrol station, a pub, a Garda station and a funeral home. The area is also tied to Dermot O’Hurley (c.1530–1584), Archbishop of Cashel and one of the Irish Catholic Martyrs, who was raised at nearby Lickadoon Castle.
Getting there and practical tips
- By car: R512 south from Limerick city. There is free parking in a small field beside the monument, and a large signposted car park at the golf club.
- By bus: Bus Éireann route 329 (Limerick to Kilfinane via Kilmallock) stops near the village centre.
- Accessibility: the ground around the monument and rock is fairly level; the golf course has limited step-free routes, so players with mobility needs should ring ahead.
Nearby
The heritage village of Adare, with its medieval remains and thatched cottages, is about 20 minutes west. For hill walking and mountain biking, the trails of the Ballyhoura Region lie to the south. If you are doing both halves of Ballyneety, walk the crater field early for the quiet, then take an afternoon or twilight tee time.