Tag: castle

Lazy morning drive

We went for a lazy morning drive on Saturday in search of a bit of heritage and history. It’s often a thing we like to do here as there is so much to see and do off the beaten track in the west of Ireland. We came across this great little Castle ruins on the South side of County Sligo Close to Boyle Town. In the little village of Ballinafad just off the N4 Dublin to Sligo Road. The name was Ballinafad Castle ruins in County Sligo.

Ruins largely in tact still

For a ruins the shell was mainly in tact access to the inside of the ruins has been restricted due to safety however. The ruins at large had its main walls and towers still very prominent and you could certainly see the main structure of the castle.

Sit back and imagine

I have said before and I’ll say again these ruins bring so much joy I could sit here for ages and just wander once once went on in this little Castle. If only you could roll back the time.

A bit of history

The Ballinafad castle in Sligo is an Elizabethan blockhouse built during the Nine Years’ War by Captain John St. Barbe on land granted to him by King James VI and I.

The castle was garrisoned by ten men and commanded by John St. Barbe. It was partially destroyed by Red Hugh O’Donnel in 1595. The castle was again sacked in 1642 and fell out of use by 1680.

Give a quick visit

Like this post its short and sweet you won’t need long here, 15 minutes of looking and enjoying this ruins is all you need but in my book well worth the 15 stop off from the car.

Finer details

• Allow 15 minutes
• This visit is free of charge
• Is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week
• No tours are available or necessary

Lough Arrow lookout

A short 2 minute drive down the road is the Lough Arrow lookout with beautiful views of the lough and the lush Sligo countryside.

Our other Castle visits

We have a ever growing selection of castles we have visited around Ireland, it is certainly a passion of ours here is a list below of the ones we have visited.

• Roscommon Castle
• Clifden Castle
• Lough Rynn Castle
• Kilkea Castle
• Kilronan Castle

You can also find a few castle adventures on our other site Travel Through Ireland

Whilst taking a drive across the Sky Road from Cifden we stumbled down the hill what seemed to be a Castle ruins. Later that night after a bit of research it appeared to be the Clifden Castle ruins.

We decided the next day we would drive back and go see how easy access  was and see it for ourselves.

Location

Just 5 minutes from Clifden centre along the Sky Road Loop

Getting There

From Clifden

Head north on Westport Rd/N59 toward Church Hill/Sky Rd then Turn left onto Church Hill/Sky Rd. Follow the Sky road for 2.1km until you reach the archway.

Clifden Castle Brief History

The Clifden Castle is a manor house just 5 minutes west of the town of Clifden. It was built 1818 for John D’Arcy, the local landowner and founder of Clifden, and designed in the Gothic Revival style. It was then uninhabited after 1894 it fell into disrepair. In 1935, the ownership passed to a group of tenants shortly after and it quickly became a ruin.

Finding Your Way In

Firstly as mentioned above don’t go by Google maps or your end up in someone’s private garden. It’s for this reason I’d say is why they have electric gates.

Instead look for this Castle archway about 400 metres before on the Clifden side

The Walk In

Once through the arch a walk down country roads for about 1 km through farmland and cattle brings you passed great views of the Wild Atlantic Way and the ocean front.

An easy walk down to the castle your come across 5 stones to keep you on track like these ones below.

The final bend gives you a glorious view of the castle standing prominently at the bottom of the hill.

At The Castle

The Clifden Castle ruins itself is still quite largely in tact with all the outside structure in place. Obvious signs of wear and tear but I was surprised by the the condition and the structure and how much was still in place

When you wonder round the back you can see the back courtyard of the castle. It actually shows the structure isn’t huge and there is a large courtyard.

A few more of the front of the castle and the main tower it’s looks as if the bottom corner of it has taken some damage throughout the years. But ut is certainly as solid as ever.

Other Castles We Have Visited

We love a good castle, if it’s in operation or in ruins we don’t care. With all the history and to think what once went on behind those walls.

Roscommon Castle ruins was one of the first we saw In Ireland. We took a look around the castle and the grounds and thoroughly enjoyed it. See our guide to the Castle Here

Lough Rynn Castle in County Leitrim is another one we had great fun visiting and walking around the grounds find out a bit more about This Trip

More Wild Atlantic Way

This isn’t the only part of the Wild Atlantic Way we have done we have also, had a road trip to the picturesque village of Doolin and the legendary Cliffs of Moher. See our Road Trip. Further to the North West corner we experienced the historical town of Killala also steeped in history.