Desmond Castle, near Pallaskenry
For a guided look at a fortress whose moat and river still explain its layout.
The story behind Adare Desmond Castle
The thirteenth-century castle guarded a crossing of the Maigue. Associated with the FitzGeralds, it later passed to the Earls of Desmond. The keep and surrounding defences make a useful contrast with Adare’s more familiar village streets.
What you will see
This is an organised castle tour rather than an open park. The route through the remains helps distinguish the fortified enclosure from the domestic spaces inside. Start at the heritage centre, where the visit is arranged.
Resized and converted to WebP. Display may be cropped; the full photograph is linked.
Seasonal guided visits
OPW lists tours from 1 June to 30 September 2026 at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:30. Access is only through Adare Heritage Centre; do not try to enter from the road bridge. Contact the centre for availability and the current price. Parking and toilets are at the centre.
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 Pallaskenry
- 10 km south-east, in a straight line
- Run by
- Office of Public Works
The map does not yet record a phone number for Desmond Castle. Anyone can add it on OpenStreetMap, and this page picks the change up at the next refresh.
Getting to Desmond 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
Desmond Castle is in Pallaskenry, County Limerick. 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 Adare (336341), 760 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.
- Adare 760 m
buses 13, 14, 300, 321 and 722Scheduled departures from this stop
- Kilgobbin 800 m
bus 321Scheduled departures from this stop
Getting to Pallaskenry covers the journeys into the town itself.
Other castles in Pallaskenry
Nearest to Desmond Castle first, and the figure beside each one is how far it is from Desmond Castle, in a straight line. Same point, same measure.
- 4.1 km
- 5.1 km
- 5.3 km
- 6.0 km
- 7.2 km
- 7.3 km
- 8.1 km
- 9.1 km
- 9.4 km
- 12 km
- 13 km
- 13 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/266418240, 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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