Swords Castle, near Donabate
A town-centre castle where the enclosing walls are as interesting as the towers.
The story behind Swords Castle
This was the fortified residence of Dublin’s archbishops. Building began around 1200 and continued over several centuries, producing an irregular walled enclosure rather than one monumental keep. The chapel and domestic buildings show that administration and residence mattered alongside defence.
What you will see
Walk through the enclosure and look at how the buildings meet the perimeter wall. The adjoining town park makes this an easy combination with time in Swords. It is a smaller, less formal outing than a furnished estate tour.
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Resized and converted to WebP. Display may be cropped; the full photograph is linked.
Free admission; closed Mondays
Fingal County Council lists Tuesday to Sunday access, excluding bank holidays, with Mondays closed. September hours are 09:30 to 17:00; winter hours shorten to 16:00 with last entry at 15:30. Confirm transition-month hours. Tours are subject to demand and should be requested through Fingal Tourism.
Check the official visitor information ↗Sources and checks
- Fingal County CouncilVisitor access and historical context. Checked .
- Fáilte IrelandHistorical context and visitor experience. Checked .
- Kind
- Castles
- From Donabate
- 5.6 km south-west, in a straight line
- Wheelchair
- Recorded as accessibleOne tag covering the whole place. It does not say whether the entrance, the inside, the toilets or the route to the door are step free, and this page will not say so either.
The map does not yet record a phone number for Swords Castle. Anyone can add it on OpenStreetMap, and this page picks the change up at the next refresh.
Getting to Swords Castle
About these directions
Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.
Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.
How journey planning worksDestination, access and nearby stops
Swords Castle is in Donabate, County Dublin. Routes here end at the point the map records for this place. No entrance has been verified, so the last few metres are for you to judge.
The nearest scheduled stop is Swords Castle (3679), 90 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.
- Swords Castle 90 m
buses 33B, 33A, 41, 197, 41C and 43 among othersScheduled departures from this stop
- North Street 140 m
buses 33B, 33A, 41C, 43, 33 and 41XScheduled departures from this stop
- Saint Columbas Rise 270 m
buses 41, 197, 192, 196, 41B and 41XScheduled departures from this stop
- Seatown West 310 m
buses 33B, 33A, 41C, 43, 33 and 41XScheduled departures from this stop
- Swords Village 330 m
buses 33B, 41, 197, 43, 192 and 41B among othersScheduled departures from this stop
Getting to Donabate covers the journeys into the town itself.
Events nearby
Not at Swords Castle. These are at other venues within a few hundred metres of it.
Other castles in Donabate
Nearest to Swords Castle first, and the figure beside each one is how far it is from Swords Castle, in a straight line. Same point, same measure.
Questions people ask
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Where this comes from
- From the map
- The name, the kind of place, the address where the record carries one, and any website, phone or opening hours shown as recorded on the map are tags on OpenStreetMap way/23587238, and can be corrected there.
- Worked out here
- Every distance, the nearest road where the record has no address, which car park and which stop are nearest, and the order of the lists are this site’s own calculations from those records. Distances are straight lines between two points, not walks along the footpaths, and the map will route the real walk on request. A mistake in any of this is a mistake here rather than on the map.