Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle stands on a rocky island in the River Suir, in the middle of the town, and is unusually complete: keep, three walled courtyards, curtain walls, towers and an original portcullis still hanging in the gate passage. Most of what you see is the Butlers' enlargement of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries around a thirteenth-century core, and it escaped the demolition and rebuilding that flattened many Irish castles. You can walk the wall tops, climb into the keep and cross the courtyards without a guide, though the tour explains the layout. A short riverside path leads from the castle to the Swiss Cottage, a thatched ornamental house built for the same family.

History

The castle was built from 1142 by Conchobar Ua Briain, King of Thomond, on and near an earlier stone fort, a cathair, which gave the place its name, and its core dates from the 13th century. In 1375 it was granted to James Butler, Earl of Ormond, the Butlers enlarged and remodelled it between the 15th and 17th centuries, and after falling into ruin in the late 18th century it was partly restored in the 1840s (Wikipedia, Cahir Castle).

What's there

• The keep - the tall central tower, with rooms and stairs open to climb.
• The portcullis - the original iron-shod gate still hanging in the entrance passage.
• The wall walks - parapets around three courtyards, high above the water.
• The river island - the Suir splitting and running around the rock the castle sits on.

When to go

Open all year with longer summer hours and guided tours through the day. Spring and autumn are quiet and the river runs high and loud. Summer weekends bring families and the courtyards fill quickly. If you plan to walk the riverside path to the Swiss Cottage, allow another two hours and check its separate seasonal opening.

Good to know

The rooms are largely bare, with an exhibition and a model rather than furnished interiors, so the interest is in the structure itself. Stairs are tight spirals with worn treads and no handrail in places. Town traffic runs close by, parking near the castle is limited, and the site is compact enough to exhaust in an hour.

Nearby

The Swiss Cottage is a riverside walk away; the Galtee Mountains and Cashel are close.

Key facts