Aughnanure Castle, Oughterard
For a tower house where the river explains the defences.
The story behind Aughnanure Castle
The O'Flaherty stronghold stands on rock above the Drimneen River, on a water route towards Lough Corrib. Looking beyond the main tower reveals how much a defended household needed: enclosing walls, a hall, smaller defensive structures and a harbour. OPW dates the tower to the late fifteenth century; some tourism accounts use the sixteenth, so a precise construction year would be misleading.
What you will see
Explore the tower and the remains around it, especially the unusual double enclosure. The scale feels quite different from a large furnished mansion: narrow stairs, defensive openings and the riverbank are the memorable parts. The setting also makes it a natural stop on the Oughterard side of Connemara.
Resized and converted to WebP. Display may be cropped; the full photograph is linked.
Seasonal admission
The published 2026 season runs from 27 February to 18 November. Until 28 October, daily hours are 09:30 to 18:00 and last admission is 17:15; later dates close at 17:00. Adult admission is €5. Parking and toilets are listed. Expect steps and uneven surfaces; overnight camping in the car park is prohibited.
Check the official visitor information ↗Sources and checks
- Office of Public WorksCurrent season, fees and tower history. Checked .
- Fáilte IrelandEnclosures, harbour and visitor access. Checked .
- Kind
- Castles
- From the centre
- 3.3 km east, in a straight line
- Bus stop
- Unnamed stop, 1.2 km away
The map does not yet record a phone number for Aughnanure Castle. Anyone can add it on OpenStreetMap, and this page picks the change up at the next refresh.
Getting to Aughnanure 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
Aughnanure Castle is in Oughterard, County Galway. 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 Moyvoon West (12955), 1.0 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.
- Moyvoon West 1.0 km
bus 923Scheduled departures from this stop
- Rushveala 1.4 km
buses 419 and 923Scheduled departures from this stop
- Killola 2.2 km
bus 923Scheduled departures from this stop
Getting to Oughterard covers the journeys into the town itself.
Other castles in Oughterard
Nearest to Aughnanure Castle first, and the figure beside each one is how far it is from Aughnanure Castle, in a straight line. Same point, same measure.
- 6.1 km
- 8.6 km
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/978249612, 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.
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