Listowel Castle

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free for everyone in season, by guided tour only; groups out of season by arrangement with OPW. No membership card is needed.

ParkingNo car park

Arrive on foot, by bike or by public transport.

Parking details

OPW names no car park: the castle is 'Located in Listowel town centre' off The Square. An unnamed free car park lies about 60 m south of the castle and pay car parks within about 110 m; none is named by an official source and no tariff is stored.

Driving pin: OPW's own pin by the castle gate on The Square.

About

On a rise above a strategic ford of the River Feale in Listowel, this castle is one of the best examples of Anglo-Norman architecture in County Kerry, though only half of the building survives. Two of its original four square towers remain, each more than 15 metres high, joined by a curtain wall of the same height and, unusually, linked by an arch on one side. It was the last stronghold of the Fitzmaurice rebels against the forces of Elizabeth I in the Nine Years War: in 1600 the garrison held out for 28 days before Sir Charles Wilmot overpowered it and executed the soldiers left inside. Free guided tours of about 45 minutes run in summer, climbing steep spiral stairs to the upper floors, with views over the town and racecourse. Look for a face carved on the outside of one tower, which comes with a story the guides tell. The literary centre in the grounds has a cafe.

ClosedPick a day for times and prices

Site Closed Site is now closed for the 2026 season- we look forward to welcoming visitors again in 2027.

Today, Saturday 24 October

Listowel CastleClosed

Closed for the winter.

Opening times may change at short notice.

Open seasonally by free guided tour only: in 2026 from 30 April to 23 September, daily 10:00 to 17:00 with last admission at 16:15. OPW looks forward to welcoming visitors again in 2027; dates not yet published. Tour groups can be shown round out of season by prior arrangement with OPW (086 385 7201, listowelcastle@opw.ie). Tours take about 45 minutes. Recheck 1 April 2027.

The upper floors are reached by steep winding staircases, so wheelchair access is very limited; walkways are uneven and visitors are asked to hold the hand rail. OPW lists no toilets; the Kerry Writers' Museum beside the castle has toilets and coffee.

Photo: Listowel Castle's two surviving towers joined by their tall arch, seen from the entrance path. The Speckled Bird, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Listowel_Castle,_Kerry.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.