The only way to visit this stately 15th-century castle 3.5km southeast of Quin is to attend a touristy but fun medieval banquet. Following a cup of mead (honey wine) and harp music, you'll sit down to a four-course meal accompanied by live entertainment. Knappogue's walls are intact, and it has a fine collection of period furniture and fireplaces, and restored formal gardens.
The castle was built in 1467 by the MacNamaras, who held sway over a large part of Clare from the 5th to mid-15th centuries and littered the region with 42 castles. It was confiscated by Cromwellian forces in 1659 and bestowed upon a parliamentarian, Arthur Smith, which is one of the reasons it was spared destruction. The MacNamara family regained the castle after the Restoration in 1660 and it was finally restored by a Texan architect after he purchased it in 1966. Shannon Development, which administers the site, has owned it since 1996.
