Most of what survives here was built by two families. The Earls of Desmond raised Askeaton, Adare, Bourchier’s and Portrinard; the Fitzgeralds left the roofless tower at Castlemahon. The Normans got there first, and King John’s Castle on King’s Island is where that story is told properly, with drum towers you can climb for views over Limerick City and archaeology laid out under the courtyard.
The city holds two of the eight. King John’s and Fanning’s Castle, the last surviving tower house in Limerick, both sit on King’s Island within a short walk of each other, so a morning covers the pair. Everything else needs a car. Askeaton stands on a rock in the River Deel in the middle of town, closed for conservation but visible and worth the stop; Adare Castle is ten minutes further and runs guided shuttles from the Heritage Centre between June and September, which is the only way in. Bourchier’s Castle is a few minutes from Adare on the Lough Gur shore, closed inside but easily seen from the lakeshore paths.
The far west is a separate run. Castlemahon sits near Newcastle West, and Portrinard, burned out in 1580, is an open-air stop on the Limerick Greenway near Abbeyfeale. Castle Oliver is south, near Ardpatrick, and is a private house, so the exterior and gate lodge are what you see.
A 13th-century Norman fortress over a Viking settlement on the Shannon, with costumed guides, hands-on archaeology and drum towers you can climb.
A red-sandstone Scottish-Baronial pile built in the 1840s by two sisters, still a private home, so the terraces and gate lodge are the draw from the road.
A Desmond stronghold on a rock in the River Deel with one of Ireland's finest medieval banqueting halls, striking even while closed for conservation.
A square keep with a deep moat and working drawbridge on the Maigue, reached only by guided shuttle from the Adare Heritage Centre in summer.
A five-storey Desmond tower house on the shore of Lough Gur, closed inside but plainly seen from the lakeshore footpaths near the stone circle.
7 of 8 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Nicholas Street, limerick
A 13th-century fortress on King's Island, raised over a Viking settlement on the River Shannon. Inside, hands-on archaeology and costumed guides trace its evolution from Viking post to Norman stronghold; climb the drum towers for the best views over Limerick City.
Upper Sunville, limerick
Castle Oliver is a red-sandstone Scottish-Baronial pile built in the 1840s by two sisters between the villages of Ardpatrick and Ballyorgan in south Limerick. It is a private home, so the draw is the exterior, the terraces and the gate lodge, seen from the public road – plus a family link to the dancer Lola Montez.
Askeaton, limerick
Askeaton Castle stands on a rock in the River Deel, a stronghold of the Earls of Desmond with one of the finest medieval banqueting halls in Ireland and an 18th-century Hell-fire Club building alongside. It is currently closed to the public for conservation, so for now it is an external view only – but a striking one, right in the middle of town.
Adare, limerick
Adare, limerick
Castlemahon, limerick
Mary Street, limerick
Abbeyfeale, limerick
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