Kildavnet Castle
Kildavnet Castle
4
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.0
47 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
19
Average
9
Poor
0
Terrible
2
mcconnellboys
Lexington, KY146 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
Do your due diligence and read about Grace O'Malley before you go. Perhaps visit the ruined castle of her family, Aughnanure, as you drive through Galway on your way to Achill (although she was supposedly born out on one of the islands). Marvel at the strong women of history who have, by hook or by crook, made their way in the world in all generations.... Grace O'Malley (I like her Gaelic name better, and am told many young girls carry it even today: Grainne') - a pirate queen who had the audacity to visit with Queen Elizabeth to make a request and spoke with her in Latin.... Veni, vedi, vici....
Written 7 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElizaF_London
London, UK62 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
The castle was the one-time home of the O'Malley family. The most famous of whom was Grace o'Malley, the pirate Queen who faced up to Elizabeth I to have her sons and brother released from an English nobleman who had taken them captive.
My daughter is fasinated by her so when we were on holiday on Achill, we drove out to the castle.
First of all, this is not Disneyland. There are no turnstiles, no fees to get in, there are no shops and no facilities. It is an old stone castle in the middle of farmland. Farmland with a muddy field and cow pats. Bring wellies. Entry is attained by clambering over a locked gate so if you can't climb a 7 bar farm gate, this won't be a good place for you to go and visit.
You can walk right into the castle and see the reminants of the keep style the castle was built in. Where doors, floors, balconies and a fireplace once existed can be seen in the stone.
Nearby is the ancient church and cemetery at Kildavnet, there since the 12th century and the Island life-boat, good places to continue your ramble to. The views out of the harbour are amazing.
My daughter is fasinated by her so when we were on holiday on Achill, we drove out to the castle.
First of all, this is not Disneyland. There are no turnstiles, no fees to get in, there are no shops and no facilities. It is an old stone castle in the middle of farmland. Farmland with a muddy field and cow pats. Bring wellies. Entry is attained by clambering over a locked gate so if you can't climb a 7 bar farm gate, this won't be a good place for you to go and visit.
You can walk right into the castle and see the reminants of the keep style the castle was built in. Where doors, floors, balconies and a fireplace once existed can be seen in the stone.
Nearby is the ancient church and cemetery at Kildavnet, there since the 12th century and the Island life-boat, good places to continue your ramble to. The views out of the harbour are amazing.
Written 6 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1972pookie4
Dundalk, Ireland41 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
This castle is simply beautiful. My boys love the fact that you can go into it. It is really well-maintained and looks fabulous for a 500 year old ruin.
There is a stile to allow pedestrian access. If one wishes to, one can park at the side of the road opposite the castle itself, or a little further on at the pier past the lifeboat station where there is a small car park.
With small boys, seeing the lifeboat is also an attraction!
The old graveyard beside it - with three mass graves (famine, fire & drowning) is worth a visit. More about this can be learned at the Achill Experience in Keel or online.
There is a stile to allow pedestrian access. If one wishes to, one can park at the side of the road opposite the castle itself, or a little further on at the pier past the lifeboat station where there is a small car park.
With small boys, seeing the lifeboat is also an attraction!
The old graveyard beside it - with three mass graves (famine, fire & drowning) is worth a visit. More about this can be learned at the Achill Experience in Keel or online.
Written 27 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark
Sligo, Ireland156 contributions
Jul 2020
A nice little stop along the Atlantic Drive, will be of interest to kids worth stopping at. Information baords a little further on past the castle at the pier.
Written 29 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NHjo
Saco, ME14,426 contributions
Aug 2017 • Solo
I'd heard a lot about the Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley, so I had to check out her castle tower. It's not far from the main road and worth the detour. It's a calming location, very quiet, off the beaten path. I saw some people fishing in the nearby lake.
Written 15 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NorthsideCrew
Dublin, Ireland202 contributions
Feb 2017 • Family
I always loved Grace O'Malley's stories and so it came as a nice surprise to find her tower as part of the wild atlantic coast drive. No entrance fee, can be seen any day, any time, no matter what the weather. Beautiful to look at with the bay in the back.
Written 1 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samz4
Belfast, UK132 contributions
Mar 2016 • Family
We got hooked on Grace O'Malley's history after visiting Westport House so a visit here was a must for us! (Another castle of her's is Rockfleet also known as Carrigahowley outside Newport.) Kildownet is accessible by climbing a few steps built into a stone wall. There is a gate, when we went it was locked. You can go into the castle itself via a turnstile to keep the sheep out! Inside is a shell now but you get the idea. The views around the bay are beautiful. You have to carefully park on the side of the road. I agree that a visit to the nearby coastal graveyard is worth a visit too, there are some poignant graves there. Suitable for walkers, cyclists and drivers. No toilets of-course!
Written 25 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob T
Kilmarnock, Scotland, United Kingdom566 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
The story of Grace O'Malley is the real stuff of legend and, apparently, this tower house is one of many of her clan's buildings around the west of Ireland.
Most reviewers talk about the views around the castle (really a tower) but this review will be different.
On the day we drove passed it, albeit a sunny day, there was a sea mist engulfing the area surrounding the tower so the great views that everyone talks about were masked. However, this added to the eeriness of the tower and made us concentrate on the story and history of it's former inhabitant. For this reason, we had a different experience than others and it was still fascinating.
When you go, take the usual photos of the great views, but, spend a little time thinking of the great pirate queen and wht it light have been like 'in the day'.
Most reviewers talk about the views around the castle (really a tower) but this review will be different.
On the day we drove passed it, albeit a sunny day, there was a sea mist engulfing the area surrounding the tower so the great views that everyone talks about were masked. However, this added to the eeriness of the tower and made us concentrate on the story and history of it's former inhabitant. For this reason, we had a different experience than others and it was still fascinating.
When you go, take the usual photos of the great views, but, spend a little time thinking of the great pirate queen and wht it light have been like 'in the day'.
Written 2 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2020vision
Dundonald, Belfast.5,101 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
Kildownet is actually the name of the old and new cemeteries ( on opposite sides of the road ) just before you come to Grace O' Malley's tower which is Kildavnet, they are all worth a visit. The old cemetery especially has lots of interesting gravestones and is in a beautiful setting.
Kildavnet is one of the tower houses which belonged to Grace O' Malley or Granuaile, the setting of this is also spectacular, well worth visiting all of them.
Kildavnet is one of the tower houses which belonged to Grace O' Malley or Granuaile, the setting of this is also spectacular, well worth visiting all of them.
Written 30 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlbertSalichs
Manresa, Spain23,886 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
Kildavnet Castle are ruins of an old building located in Achill Island, in Western Ireland. Nowadays, you can only see a tower, which is closed. Also, from here, you can see nice views of the coast. One of the points to see, if you drive around the island.
Written 25 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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