Ruins and castles in County Kerry

Irish Ruins and Castles

This collection features a diverse range of historical sites across County Kerry, from the UNESCO-listed Skellig Monastery to medieval strongholds like Carrigafoyle and Listowel Castles. It includes prehistoric stone ringforts such as Staigue and Cahergal, alongside unique archaeological remains like the 385-million-year-old Tetrapod Trackway on Valentia Island. Visitors can explore early Christian monastic ruins on Innisfallen Island and traditional beehive huts (clocháns) on the Dingle Peninsula, representing thousands of years of Irish defensive and religious architecture.

Irish Ruins and Castles — Map

Kwrecks / CC BY-SA 4.0

A

Ballycarbery Castle

Ballycarbery Castle is a castle 3 kilometres from Cahersiveen, County Kerry, Ireland.

B

Staigue Fort

Staigue or Staig is a ruined stone ringfort three miles west of Sneem, on the Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Beyourbest2 / CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Skellig Monastery

Skellig Michael, also called Great Skellig, is a twin-pinnacled crag 11.6 kilometres west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Larsoner~commonswiki / Public domain

D

Listowel Castle

Listowel Castle, located near the town of Listowel, County Kerry in Ireland, was built in the 15th century.

Ulrich Hartmann / CC BY-SA 2.0

E

Ballinskelligs Castle

Ballinskelligs Castle is a castle located near Ballinskelligs on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Kevin Carey / CC-BY-SA

F

Cahergal Ring Fort

Large stone ringfort dating from approximately 600 AD. It features dry-stone walls up to four meters high with internal terraced stairs leading to the ramparts.

G

Purt Castle

Purt Castle or Port Castle is a ruined Geraldine castle near Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, Ireland.

H

Minard Castle

16th-century FitzGerald castle overlooking the Dingle Peninsula coast. The four-story tower house was partially destroyed by Cromwellian forces in 1650 using gunpowder.

I

Innisfallen Monastery

Ruined 7th-century monastery located on an island in Lough Leane. It was a major center of learning where the Annals of Innisfallen were composed.

Stephen Murphy / CC BY-SA 4.0

J

Killelton Church

Killelton Church is a medieval church and a National Monument in County Kerry, Ireland.

Paulw62 / CC BY-SA 4.0

K

Ballybunion Castle

16th-century coastal tower house situated on a cliff edge. Only a single prominent wall remains of this former Fitzmaurice family stronghold.

L

Carrigafoyle Castle

15th-century tower house on the Shannon estuary. It is notable for its five-story structure and a dock that once allowed ships to unload directly into the castle.

M

Tetrapod Trackway

Fossilized footprints on Valentia Island dating back 385 million years. These tracks represent some of the earliest evidence of four-legged vertebrates walking on land.

N

Beehive Structures

Prehistoric dry-stone dwellings, known as clocháns, built without mortar. These corbelled stone huts were historically used by monks or as agricultural shelters.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

O

Beehive Huts

Conical dry-stone structures dating back to the early medieval period. These clocháns are characteristic of the Dingle Peninsula's ancient archaeological landscape.

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