Galway has five castles you can see in a day or two: Dunguaire on the shore of Galway Bay, Aughnanure near Oughterard, Athenry Castle in Athenry, Portumna Castle on Lough Derg, and Lynch’s Castle on Shop Street in the city.
Three of them (Aughnanure, Athenry and Portumna) are run by the Office of Public Works, and each has its own Heritage Ireland page for opening details.
Last checked: November 2026. Facts come from the OPW’s Heritage Ireland pages and our own Dunguaire guide. We don’t print prices or opening times: check each castle’s own page before you go.
Want the story behind one castle? Our Dunguaire Castle guide goes deeper, and the other four have official pages linked below.
- Where is Dunguaire Castle and who built it?
- What is Aughnanure Castle?
- What can you see at Athenry Castle?
- What is Portumna Castle?
- Where is Lynch's Castle in Galway city?
Where is Dunguaire Castle and who built it?
Dunguaire stands on the shore of Galway Bay at Kinvara. The tower house dates to around 1520 and was built by the O’Hynes clan; the name comes from Dún Guaire, the fort of Guaire, a 7th-century king of Connacht remembered for his generosity.
In 1924 the writer and surgeon Oliver St. John Gogarty bought it and restored it. Kinvara is about 2 km away, with a working harbour and pubs.
Dunguaire Castle: Dunguaire Castle official site. Our guide: Our Dunguaire Castle story.
What is Aughnanure Castle?
Aughnanure is a 15th-century tower house, the stronghold of the O’Flaherty lords of West Connacht for over two centuries. The OPW calls it Connemara’s best-preserved late-medieval tower house.
It stands on a rocky outcrop above the Drimneen River near the western shore of Lough Corrib, about 3.5 km from Oughterard off the N59. Two walled enclosures (bawns) and a banqueting hall from the 16th century survive around it.
Aughnanure Castle: Aughnanure Castle on Heritage Ireland. Our guide: Our guide to things to do in Galway.
What can you see at Athenry Castle?
Athenry Castle is a three-storey hall-keep from the mid-13th century in the middle of Athenry town, guarding what was a ford on the Clareen River.
The OPW highlights the Great Hall, carved floral decoration on the doorway and two windows, original battlements and a 20-minute film on the castle’s history in the third-floor audio-visual room.
Athenry Castle: Athenry Castle on Heritage Ireland. Our guide: Our guide to things to do in Galway.
What is Portumna Castle?
Portumna Castle was built in the early 1600s by the fourth Earl of Clanricarde of the de Burgo family, and mixes medieval and Renaissance styles. A fire in 1826 left it roofless; state restoration began in the 1960s.
It sits on the shore of Lough Derg beside the River Shannon and Portumna Forest Park, with formal gardens and a walled kitchen garden.
Portumna Castle: Portumna Castle and Gardens on Heritage Ireland. Our guide: Our guide to things to do in Galway.
Where is Lynch's Castle in Galway city?
Lynch’s Castle is a medieval town house of the Lynch family, one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway, at the corner of Shop Street and Abbeygate Street. It is now a bank branch, so you see it from the street.
Sources disagree on its exact dates, so we give none here; the carved stone fronts are the thing to look at.
Lynch's Castle: Lynch's Castle on Galway Tourism. Our guide: Top 10 things to do in Galway.