Desmond Castle

Desmond Castle

Desmond Castle
4.5
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksCastles
About
The Desmond Castle is located on the edge of the village of Adare, just off the N21 on the main Limerick to Kerry road. The castle was erected with an ancient ring-fort around the early part of the 13th century. It became a strategic fortress during the following turbulent years. It was the property of the Earls of Kildare for nearly 300 years until the rebellion in 1536, when it was forfeited and granted to the Earls of Desmond who gave the castle its present name. Tours of the 13th century Norman Castle operate daily from June to the end of September. Groups may be accommodated outside of these months on request.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Srinivas P
    Bangalore District, India152 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice place to visit and know about 800 yrs old history
    We had a visit today with family while we were passing this way. One among the contact (forgot to get the name!) in the office was really helpful and provided detailed background about the castle and history. It was insightful for kids and our family. Nice place to visit and get to know the history of around 800 years old!
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 17 March 2024
  • Tengiene
    Balbriggan, Ireland4,066 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feudal ruins
    Adare Castle represents a medieval fortified castle in Ireland. It was strategically located on the banks of the River Meig, from where its lords could control any traffic heading to or from the Shannon Estuary. The castle was built for strength and security. Its core is a huge square fortress; the fortress is located inside a walled chamber surrounded by a moat. Adare Castle changed hands several times before becoming a key bastion for the Earls of Desmond in the sixteenth century. However, during the Second Desmond Rebellion it fell to the English after a bloody siege. Cromwell's troops destroyed the building in 1657, although restorers have since helped restore it to its former glory. To get there you need to book tickets at the heritage center and you will be taken by bus from the heritage center. It was a fantastic opportunity to enter the castle with a guide who opened the main gate of the large castle. It was a small group and it was great to hear all the stories from a knowledgeable guide. My favorite story is about a man who was imprisoned there for 17 years and no one knew about it. He survived his entire 17 years by eating rats. We had the opportunity to walk and go to the metro.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 June 2024
  • Patricia C
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Superb tour guide and magical castle.
    Been to Adare several times but never visited inside the castle. Tour guide was fantastic (apologies can’t remember his name) really knowledgeable and very engaging, with superb facts and great sense of humour. Absolutely fantastic tour loved the castle so magical and well preserved. Even engaged my 16yr old who said it was one of the best places he’d visited.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 10 September 2024
  • Life2Travel
    Charlotte, North Carolina1,967 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Guided tour
    We spent the day in Adare and decided to visit the castle. It was also included on our OPW Heritage Card. We were able to get a fascinating guided tour, engaging, and interesting. There are enough of the castle ruins remaining to appreciate the size and grandeur and visualize life as it was.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 January 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles123 reviews
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Jim W
Sindelfingen, Germany8,897 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
While this small castle will not blow any one away in elegance or size, these ruins are truly impressive, especially with its unique history. For only 6 Euro, you can get a private tour. When my wife and I went, there were only five of us. She got to open the castle door on the way in and I got to lock it up at the end. The tour guide was funny and very informative. His informative narrative added so much to our experience. The whole thing only takes an hour, but it is well worth it.
Written 25 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Houston_Eriol
Houston459 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
Amazing castle. You have to reserve a tour and you meet at the heritage center in town, not the castle. Our tour guide was Mark and he did an awesome job giving us the history of that place but also tying it into the full history of Ireland which we had been learning so it was great to see it come together.
Written 16 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

medfordnjmom
Medford, NJ343 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
Thank you, Mark! What an incredibly informative and amusing tour. We learned so much about the history of Desmond Castle and history in general. The kids in our tour group seemed mesmerized-I think you inspired a love of history in them. I’m so glad the Adare Heritage Center offered this tour-fantastic!
Written 12 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gerrri99 Dublin
Dublin, Ireland227 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Couples
Booked at. Heritage centre in Adare, we were driven in. Minibus to the Castle. Superb tour guide Jess helped make it a hugely enjoyable and informative visit. Highly recommend.
Written 9 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris H
Peterborough, Canada33 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2011 • Couples
The Castle was closed to the public. Scaffolding was visible on one side, however, it still is a great photo opportunity. The property lie on the side of the river so you can get some great shots from the bridge. Take the side street on the west of bridge down and you can get right to the edge and see the west side of the Castle up close.

Askeaton isn't that big of a town, it does however house this castle, St. Mary's Church, The Knights Templar Tower, and a fairly well preserved Priory. This isn't the most spectacular castle experience that you will have in County Limerick, but when you add in the other sites available to you in this small town, it's certainly worthwhile to visit.

Cheers from Canada
Written 31 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

anjinsan
Riverside, CA178 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Couples
Desmond Castle can only be toured with a guide. This is easy to do. We began our visit at the Visitor Center in Adare. There is plenty of parking in the back. At the center you buy your ticket for your guided tour. They drove us to the castle, a short 5 minute drive. The guide pointed out the historical sights and told the history of the area. Then we arrived at the castle. We walked throughout the castle while guide, Sandra, explained the history and all shorts of interesting facts about living in the castle. We have toured many castle throughout Ireland and Europe. This was one of the most fun because of all the interesting information we gained. Sandra our guide was great. What a wealth of information she has. If in Adare, well worth a stop.
Written 7 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard R
Mashpee, MA66 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
Desmond Castle in Adare is well worth the stop. We went to the Adare Heritage Center where we found our guide Mary who bussed us to the castle (left the car in the free parking at the center) and walked us through it while giving us the history. Helps to understand how they lived.
She was great.
Written 17 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mabellnyc
nyc24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Couples
had a great tour with a very competent and informative guide. takes about an hour but well worth it.
Written 6 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

floLimerickIreland
Corralejo, Spain35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2012 • Friends
this castle dominates the skyline as you come into the town of Askeaton and is truely a wonderous site. The history that surrunds it is fantastic. the whole town is full of history and well worth a visit. the people are very friendly and i really enjoyed my visit and will definately go back again
Written 16 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AllanH328
Bethesda, MD552 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
As we drove into the village we caught glimpses of the castle. If we had more time in Adare I would have gone to get a closer look. We had seen a ton of castles on our trip so far so didn't feel the urgency to do more here.
Written 21 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DESMOND CASTLE (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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