Maynooth Castle, near Ardclough
For a compact introduction to the FitzGeralds beside the university town.
The story behind Maynooth Castle
The FitzGeralds made Maynooth a centre of power in medieval Ireland. The surviving keep and gateway are fragments of a much larger residence and defensive complex. Their position beside the later college creates a striking change of scale and period.
What you will see
Visit the exhibition and surviving castle spaces, then explore Maynooth on foot. This is a short heritage visit rather than a day-long estate. Its central position makes it a practical option when the seasonal visitor service is operating.
Resized and converted to WebP. Display may be cropped; the full photograph is linked.
Season ends 23 September 2026
Admission is free. The published 2026 season ends on 23 September, with opening from 10:00 to 17:45 and last admission at 17:15. Groups of ten or more should book. On-site toilets are not provided and access is limited in parts. Later dates require a new confirmed season notice.
Check the official visitor information ↗Sources and checks
- Office of Public WorksVisitor access and historical context. Checked .
- Fáilte IrelandHistorical context and visitor experience. Checked .
- Kind
- Castles
- From Ardclough
- 9.4 km north, in a straight line
The map does not yet record a phone number for Maynooth Castle. Anyone can add it on OpenStreetMap, and this page picks the change up at the next refresh.
Getting to Maynooth 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
Maynooth Castle is in Ardclough, County Kildare. 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 Maynooth University (10049), 70 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.
- Maynooth University 70 m
bus 139Scheduled departures from this stop
- Manor Mills SC 150 m
bus W6Scheduled departures from this stop
- Maynooth 300 m
buses C3, 139, C5 and X25Scheduled departures from this stop
- Maynooth Station 360 m
bus W6Scheduled departures from this stop
- Moyglare Road 480 m
bus W6Scheduled departures from this stop
Getting to Ardclough covers the journeys into the town itself.
Other castles in Ardclough
Nearest to Maynooth Castle first, and the figure beside each one is how far it is from Maynooth Castle, in a straight line. Same point, same measure.
- 20 m
- 60 m
- 4.4 km
- 6.6 km
- 7.2 km
- 7.2 km
- 8.5 km
- 12 km
- 17 km
Questions people ask
Where is Maynooth Castle?
How do you contact Maynooth Castle?
How far is Maynooth Castle from the centre of Ardclough?
Are there other castles near Maynooth Castle?
How do you get to Maynooth Castle without a car?
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/31510307, 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.