Maynooth Castle


At the west end of the town centre you can see the ruined gatehouse, keep and great hall of this 13th-century castle, once home to the Fitzgerald family. The castle was dismantled in Cromwellian times, when the Fitzgeralds moved to Kilkea Castle. Entry is by a 45-minute guided tour only; there's a small exhibition on the castle's history in the keep.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. St Patrick's College

0.17 MILES

Part of NUI Maynooth, and turning out Catholic priests since 1795, St Patrick's College & Seminary is Ireland's second-oldest university (after Trinity…

3. Castletown House

3.45 MILES

Magnificent Castletown House is Ireland’s single-most imposing Georgian estate, and a testament to the vast wealth enjoyed by the Anglo-Irish gentry…

5. Oughterard Round Tower & Cemetery

7.23 MILES

The 10m-tall stump of an 8th-century round tower marks this ancient Christian site, 7km southeast of Straffan. Its name in Irish means 'high place', and…

6. Farmleigh

9.76 MILES

The Irish government's official guesthouse is this fine Georgian-Victorian pile designed by James Gandon. Originally part of the Guinness estate, it was…

7. Strawberry Beds

10.11 MILES

Running alongside the northern banks of the Liffey between the villages of Chapelizod and Lucan, roughly along the western edge of Phoenix Park, is the…

8. Dunsany Castle

10.8 MILES

You can see how the other 1% lives at Dunsany Castle, 5km south of Tara on the Dunshaughlin–Kilmessan road. The residence of the lords of Dunsany, it's…