Ballymote Castle, Ballymote, Ireland

Ballymote Castle is a large rectangular keepless castle, built around 1300. It is located in the townland of Carrownanty on the outskirts of Ballymote. It is the last of the Norman castles in Connacht. It was probably built in order to protect the newly won possessions of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (also known as the Red Earl), in County Sligo, some distance from an earlier motte.

Ballymote castle is a large enclosure castle, the most symmetrical of all the Irish 'keepless' castles. It has many similarities with Beaumaris Castle, in Anglesey, Wales, built by King Edward I of England. The entrance, with a double towered gate, is in the north wall and had twin D-shaped towers. It has a gatehouse typical of the period, the outer portions of which have almost completely disappeared. The castle, however, remains an impressive structure. The interior measures about 30 square metres. There are three-quarter round towers at all four corners and also in the middle of the east and west walls. A postern gate, which was planned for the centre of the south wall, was never completed, probably because of the events of 1317, when the castle was lost to the O'Connors. A small square tower had protected this gate.

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User Reviews

James Conn (6 months ago)
A great place to visit if in the area. Went by accident and enjoyed it very much.

Rosemary Fahy (9 months ago)
Beautiful but pitty I could not get inside the actual castle

Amber Mckay (10 months ago)
Sadly full of teenagers throwing stones and being noisy so we couldn't stay for long - such a shame

Fergus O'Reilly (2 years ago)
Lovely site, good remains if a very large Norman Castle. Ballymote is remote but this castle made it a worthwhile visit from Mayo. Some nice pubs and cafes in the town.

Peter Moore (7 years ago)
We visited on a Saturday recently and the interior was not accessible (the gates were locked), whilst the gatehouse forms the main part of the caste accommodation (it is a 'keepless' or courtyard castle), I would have liked to have seen the interior again. Lovely place to sit, with grounds and seating around the castle's walls.

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