Favorite castles?

We saw Dublin Castle, Kilkenny, Trim, Charles Fort in Kinsale, Cahir on our 2015 trip. Also Muckross House and Bantry House which are stately homes. Bunratty and Blarney on a previous trip in 2002. I liked them all, the easiest without a car are Dublin of course, Kilkenny, and Charles Fort. I would not knock myself out to see Blarney just because of the kissing the stone thing. Trim you have to go at the right time to tour the keep. Bunratty was a classic castle but felt a little commercialized. The grounds around Trim offer some great hikes. It and Cahir are probably what you have in mind when you think of castles. Dublin Castle is more of a palace but it's built on top of a medieval castle.

My favourite was probably the Rock of Cashel. It is a little difficult to get to without a car, but it is doable. Train to Cork, then bus to Cahir and transfer to another bus to Cashel. This was several years ago so the routes may have changed. I also enjoyed Charles Fort in Kinsale, which is easier by train to Cork and from there the bus to Kinsale is every hour. If you like ruins then James Fort is on the opposite side of the harbour from Charles Fort. You can walk to both, but I recall the walk was 30-40 minutes. Kilkenny is a nice castle, also, and the grounds are nice walk, too. I never did get in to Dublin castle as it was closed for special events the whole time I was there.

Rock of Cashel although technically its a monastery, not a castle. It is still a spectacular sight.

Ashford Castle in Cong is really hard to beat!! It was built as the home for the Guinness family (as in the beer). Lovely place to stay overnight (check for specials), but it expensive, especially since it has been named one of the top 5 hotels in the world, but it really is super fabulous.
If you and our daughters might enjoy it, if you don't stay at Ashford Castle, you can book the Hawk Walk thru the School of Falconry at Ashford Castle, which will get you on the ground and provide a fabulous experience, then do a casual lunch in the castle itself.

Dromoland, not too far from the Shannon Airport, is also a fabulous castle-hotel. The walled garden is truly spectacular. While Dromoland is lovely and a great place to stay, too, it is not as castle-like as Ashford. Ashford is huge!

Both on on lakes with lovely grounds.

There is an old (smaller) but more original in its condition/furnishings, etc. at the Bunratty Folk Park in Bunratty, and the folk park itself is fun to visit (houses/shops/agriculture/church pretty much as it would have been in the 1800s.

Irish Wolfhounds at both Ashford and Bunratty Folk Park.....imposing and regal dogs :)

Ill also recommend skipping blarnry. Rock of cashel is cool. Dunluce is basically just a photo op as its sliding towards the sea. I love bunratty folk park.... some of the photos i took there are the ones people always stop and ask about in my albums. There are a couple of pubs there on the grounds, and hotels.... so you could make a day of it. Ive done folk park and castle twice, one time we did do the medieval banquet......I wouldnt recommend it

My husband and I stayed at the Ashford Castle a few years ago. Our TAUCK Tour allowed us to stay there for just two nights. We would have loved to have spent five nights there. It is truly spectacular and the grounds are beautiful. I have read some reviews which stated that Ashford was their most favorite place on their Ireland trips. We definitely want to go back and stay there.

I live here, now, and talk to dozens of tourists each week. They all - all! - comment about how much time they spend traveling. Going from point A to point B. That said, I just glanced at a website to see "castles in Wicklow" which is near where you will be. I think you should stick to Wexford and Wicklow and Dublin rather than travel all over! Check out Ireland's Ancient East website - done by Tourism Ireland - www.irelandsancienteast.com and you'll find castles in those regions!

Also, my first visit to Ireland I stayed in the same B&B for 9 nights. We only traveled by train and Dart train, and saw lots of castles all along the coast north and south of Dublin. It was nice to be able to drink a pint at lunch and not worry about driving, too!

Susan
in Waterville