Rockfleet Castle

Rockfleet, or Carraigahowley, is a plain fifteenth-century tower house of four storeys standing at the water's edge on the northern shore of Clew Bay - small, square and unadorned, with a tidal inlet that once let a boat come alongside. It belonged to the Bourkes, and Grace O'Malley acquired it through her second marriage to Richard Bourke; she made it her principal base for the rest of her life. In 1574 an English force under Captain William Martin came from Galway to take it and besieged her here; she held out and drove them off, which is recorded in the state papers rather than only in folklore. She is generally believed to have died at Rockfleet around 1603. The tower stands unstaffed with no ticket and no facilities. It has been closed at times for safety, and the interior stair is narrow, damp and dark when it is open.

The main sights

• The tower - a plain fifteenth-century four-storey house at the water's edge.
• The tidal setting - the inlet that allowed a boat alongside.
• The 1574 siege ground - where the English force was driven off.
• The O'Malley base - her principal stronghold, and probably where she died.

When to go

April to October for the access lane and the ground. It is unstaffed - the tower may be locked. Half an hour covers it; the setting on the bay is much of the point.

Good to know

Small and plain - there is little to see beyond the tower and its position. Interior access is unreliable and the stair is dark and narrow when open. Parking is a few spaces on a narrow lane, with no facilities.

Nearby

Newport is east; Clew Bay, Westport and Achill are along the same coast.

Key facts