Knappogue Castle is a 15th century tucked away in County Clare. The castle was built in 1467 by the Macnamara Clan, who also built Bunratty Castle. The castle was confiscated in 1659 by Cromwell, and returned in 1670 when the monarchy was restored to power. In the early 20th century Knappogue was used as headquarter for the Free State Army in Ireland’s fight for freedom. This castle has gone through so much history, and I love the stories behind the history. We happened upon this charming castle as its tucked out of the way.
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| Road to Knappogue Castle |
Your first glance of the castle is following the curved driveway until you are along side the front of the castle. It’s an excellent view of the castle. You continue driving around to the side of the castle where there is a free parking lot.
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| First glance of Knappogue Castle |
The entrance is at the front of the castle, where you enter a gift shop. You can browse to your pleasure and pay the entrance fee. Again, student id’s will give you a discount! Exiting the side door of the gift shop leads you to inner bailey of the castle. It’s so easy to imagine a group of riders cantering through the bailey door and bringing their horses to a halt.
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| Door to inner bailey |
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| Inner Bailey |
Once you cross the bailey and go up the stairs you will enter the main floor of the castle. You are able to access most of the castle, however there are locks barring you from certain areas. One thing I loved about this castle is they have snippets of the history of Knappogue and time around the castle. I thought this was very interesting and added insight to the time period.
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| Snippets of history |
There are also beautiful formal gardens on the castle grounds. By the time we had finished touring the castle it was pouring out. Unfortunately, we did not visit the gardens on the account of the rain. Overall I think this castle is worth the visit. It was lovingly restored in the 20’s and has been taken care. This is another castle run by the Shannon Heritage and they do a wonderful job preserving these pieces of history. For anyone interested you are able to rent a room at this castle, it’s just going to significantly empty your pockets. The going nightly rate is a whopping 900 EUR a night! Knappogue also offers a medieval banquet at night.
Entrance Prices:
Adult 6 EUR
Child 2.50 EUR
Senior 3.50 EUR
You can buy tickets at Knappogue or online at https://www.shannonheritage.com/BookNow/BookTickets.aspx?eid=0100
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