Ballycarbery Castle

Ballycarbery was built in the sixteenth century, held by the McCarthy Mor lords and occupied by their constables, the O'Connells - the family Daniel O'Connell came from. Cromwellian artillery reduced it in 1652 and it has stood as a ruin since, gradually taken over by ivy and grass growing out of the walls, which is what makes it photograph as well as it does against the sea and the Kerry hills. For years people climbed through it freely. That changed after structural deterioration and a partial collapse: it is on private land, and it has been fenced off with signs prohibiting entry, with the landowner and the authorities both making the point that the walls are unstable. The realistic visit now is from the lane, which is narrow with almost nowhere to park. Cahergall and Leacanabuaile stone forts are a few hundred metres further along the same road.

What you actually see

• The ivy-covered walls - the sixteenth-century McCarthy castle from the lane.
• The setting - above the water with the Kerry hills behind.
• The 1652 damage - the Cromwellian reduction still legible in the shell.
• The O'Connell connection - the family who held it as constables.

When to go

April to October for the light and the lane. Half an hour - it is a roadside stop. Late afternoon puts the sun behind the castle over the water.

Honest expectations

Entry is prohibited and the structure is fenced - the walls are unstable and people have been asked repeatedly to stay out. Parking on the lane is minimal. It is a photograph from a distance, not a visit.

Nearby

Cahergall and Leacanabuaile forts are a few hundred metres on; Cahersiveen is across the bridge.