About
Aughnanure Castle is Connemara's best preserved late-medieval tower house, beautifully positioned on a rocky outcrop overhanging the Drimneen River near the western shore of Lough Corrib, three and a half kilometres from Oughterard. Built in the late fifteenth century, it was the stronghold of the O'Flaherty lords of West Connacht for over two centuries and helped resist the Cromwellian blockade of Galway before the family's lands were confiscated after the 1641 rebellion. It grew in two phases: the tower house and inner bawn, then a sixteenth-century outer bawn with a banqueting hall, its carved window surrounds surviving, and a round flanking tower. A spiral stair climbs the tower's four floors past the guard room and private apartments to the Lord's Chamber, with a secret chamber in its floor. Given to the State in 1952 and restored in the 1960s, it is reached by a short riverside path from the car park past a working farm.
Check today’s timesPick a day for times and prices
- Until 30 Oct
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 09:30–18:00, last admission 17:15; Thu, Fri 09:30–17:00, last admission 16:15
- 31 Oct–26 Feb
- Daily 09:30–17:00, last admission 16:15
- From 27 Feb
- Daily 09:30–18:00, last admission 17:15
Today, Saturday 24 October
- Aughnanure Castle09:30 – 18:00last admission 17:15
Prices, non-members
- Adult€5.00
- Child€3.00
- Family€13.00
Opening times may change at short notice.
Open 27 February to 18 November 2026: daily 9.30am to 6pm with last admission 5.15pm until 28 October, then daily 9.30am to 5pm with last admission 4.15pm until 18 November; closed for the winter after that, with the 2027 season unpublished. Tickets at the gatehouse reception, where guided tours can be arranged on the day, a visitor's guide is sold and free self-guiding handouts are available; no online booking. Free admission for everyone on the first Wednesday of each month in season.
Access is limited: the tower's four floors are reached by a spiral stair with a handrail to hold, the ground in the bawns is uneven and the walls have unguarded edges; no lift, and a single toilet at the end of the path. Card payments accepted; no cafe or shop.
Dogs: Dogs on a lead are accepted on the site; whether they may climb the tower house's spiral stair is not stated. Dogs on a lead in the bawns and on the river walk from the car park to the gatehouse, beside a working farm with cattle and horses; the grounds beyond the gatehouse need a ticket.
Photo: Aughnanure Castle's tower house with its round flanking tower and the ruined bawn walls, seen across the lawn of the bawn under a blue sky. Jennifer Young, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aughnanure_Castle_2.JPG. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
Reviews & Tips
No reviews yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience!
