The Castles of Ireland: Fairy Forts to Luxury Hotels

Céad Míle Fáilte – and welcome to your Letter from Ireland for this week. As we explore the magnificent Castles of Ireland, from mysterious fairy forts to grand Norman towers, I’ll be your guide through centuries of history and legend. Here in County Cork, the weather is perfect for castle hunting, and on my drive back from Killarney earlier this week, I passed by one of my favourite castle ruins – “Carrigaphooca” Castle – which literally translates as “castle on the rock of the fairies”. Now, that’s a name to evoke a romantic setting!

So, today let’s go on a journey through time, looking at some of the castles of Ireland you may be familiar with – and sharing a little history along the way. I’m enjoying a cup of Lyons’ Tea as I write, and I do hope you’ll join me with whatever you fancy as today we go exploring the fascinating evolution of Irish castles.

A while back, I received the following message from Mary in London:

“Mike, on my flight coming into Shannon Airport, I noticed peculiar circular shapes in the fields below. My seat neighbour was a local, and mentioned something about ‘fairy forts.’ Could you tell us more about these mysterious circles and if they relate to Ireland’s castles?”

Let’s now use Mary’s question as the starting point for our journey through time – and explore the evolution of Irish defensive structures, from ancient ring forts to modern luxury castle hotels.

The View from Above: Ring Forts to Fairy Forts.

Those circular shapes that Mary spotted from her airplane window, are the remnants of our ancient ring forts, or “raths” as we call them in Ireland. These circular earthen structures date back to the Iron Age and Early Christian period (400-800 AD), when they were the first defensive homesteads of Ireland’s wealthy farmers and minor kings. They were, essentially, the “castles” of their day – with high earth banks topped with wooden fences to protect the family’s roundhouse and livestock in the event of an attack.

As these ring forts fell into disuse, they became known as “fairy forts” or “lios.” Even today, many Irish farmers won’t disturb these ancient circles, believing them to be dwelling places of the “good people” – or the fairy folk. It’s this reluctance to interfere that has helped preserve thousands of these archaeological treasures across our landscape – including the ones Mary spotted on her descent into Shannon airport.

The Romantic Ruins at the Side of the Road.

Having landed in Shannon airport let’s proceed to Dromoland Castle Hotel for the night (we spare no expense on these imaginary journeys!). As you drive from Shannon Airport, you will notice the stone ruins of a number of castles on either side of the road.

The arrival of the Normans in 1169 brought a revolution to Irish defensive architecture. They introduced the motte-and-bailey castle – basically a wooden fortress on top of an earthen mound – but quickly realised that Irish weather demanded sturdier construction!

From the 13th to the 16th centuries, many stone castles (and tower-houses) began to appear across Ireland. These weren’t the fairy-tale castles you might imagine – but practical, military structures built to control key territories. Among the most impressive Castles of Ireland from this period is Trim Castle in County Meath – its massive stone walls and strategic position along the River Boyne show off its role as a Norman powerhouse in medieval Ireland.

Many of the castles of Ireland you see were ruined on the arrival of Oliver Cromwell and his castle-levelling cannonballs in Ireland in the mid 1600s. The age of the castles of Ireland as a defensive structure in Ireland was over. By the late 1600s those who had the means moved into more comfortable stone houses, leaving many castles to gradually fall into the romantic ruins that we see today.

Dining Stop: Castles of Ireland by Night

Back on our drive from Shannon, we also pass Bunratty Castle – a perfect example of a 15th-century tower house that’s found a new lease of life in modern Ireland. Built in 1425 and restored to its medieval glory in the 1960s, Bunratty today gives visitors a genuine glimpse into castle life. Its famous medieval banquets have been running since 1963, letting tourists feast in the Great Hall, just as the O’Brien and McNamara clan did centuries ago. If those stone walls could talk, they’d tell tales of sieges, celebrations, and now, countless tourists enjoying medieval-style mead and entertainment!

The Ancestral Home of the High Kings of Ireland – Our Stop for the night.

And then we arrive at Dromoland Castle, our stop for the night – what a treat! While it may look medieval, it’s actually a much younger castle, built in the early 1800s during the Gothic Revival period. The O’Brien family (descendants of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland) built this romantic “castle”, when it became fashionable to live in mock-medieval splendour.

It was converted into a luxury hotel in the 1960s, and now Dromoland represents the final stop on the evolution of the castles of Ireland – from defensive structures to symbols of romantic nobility, and finally to custodians of Irish heritage offering world-class hospitality. The original occupants of this castle might raise an eyebrow at the golf course and spa, but I’d like to think they’d appreciate how we’ve preserved these magnificent buildings for new generations to enjoy!

So there you have it – from ring forts (400-800 AD) to Norman castles (1169 onwards), from tower houses (1400s-1500s) to Victorian Gothic Revival castles (1800s), and finally to today’s castle hotels, each era has left a mark on our landscape. Whether you are admiring fairy forts from above, exploring medieval ruins, or enjoying afternoon tea in a castle hotel, you’re experiencing different chapters in Ireland’s architectural story.

Thank you Mary for your question that started this enjoyable journey along a timeline of Irish Castle evolution. Over to the rest of our readers? Have you visited any of the castles of Ireland? Perhaps stayed in one? Do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments section below.

Slán for now,

Mike.