Built by the Fitzmaurice family (Geraldines of West Limerick) on an earlier promontory fort site, the four-storey tower house features a rare anti-clockwise spiral staircase and a large basement built for siege supplies. It was destroyed by Lord Kerry in 1582 after its caretaker's involvement in the Desmond Rebellion, and now stands dramatically on Ballybunion's cliffs.
Visiting Ballybunion Castle
Yes — National Monument since 1923, freely accessible ruin on the cliff walk.
"Built by the Fitzmaurice family (Geraldines of West Limerick) on an earlier promontory fort site, the four-storey tower house features a rare anti-clockwise spiral staircase and a large basement built for siege supplies."
Where to stay nearby
The closest castle hotel is Ballyseede Castle, 27.29 km away in Tralee — 15th-century castle, chief garrison of the Fitzgerald Earls of Desmond; the current structure dates to 1721 after the earlier castle passed to the Blennerhassett family, and it became a hotel in 1965.
