103 Old Ruins to Explore in Munster

Castle Oliver is nestled between two unspoiled country villages, Ardpatrick and Ballyorgan. It has a ballroom, drawing room, library, morning room, dining room and hall which feature hand-painted ceilings, decorated ornamental corbels, superbly executed stained glass windows and stencil work. Built with Red Sandstone in the Scottish Baronial style, Castle Oliver is a comfortable residence and an elaborate party venue.

Castle Otway was the family home of Admiral Sir Robert Waller Otway. This former 18th-century country house which stood on a hill on the outskirts of Templederry, near Nenagh in County Tipperary, Ireland. The house was built in stone up against the ruins of Cloghane Castle in two storeys with a 7-bay frontage, of which the middle three were pedimented. It now stands as a derelict ruin with the gardens and estate land used for farming.

Castledonovan is a townland in Dromdaleague, which lies on a rock on the east bank of the River Ilen in the townland of the same name, in County Cork in Ireland. Approximately 60 feet in height, it sits on a large rock or outcropping, which forms the ground floor, close to the bank of the River Ilen. The Castle was divided into various chambers or rooms. One room was set aside in the old days for food for the garrison and another store room for gunpowder and shot.

A majestic castle located in Clonea Lower townland, roughly two and a half miles east of Dungarvan, the castle lay on a rocky outcrop at the edge of the shore by Clonea Beach. It was owned by the Maguire. The structure's entry in National Monuments Service records indicate that it was "not an antiquity", but was built in the late 18th or early 19th century, possibly on the site of an earlier Fitzgerald family fortification.

Corcomroe Abbey is beautifully situated on the edge of the rocky hills of the Burren. It is best known for its lonely situation, lying close to another interesting monastic settlement, a group of three small early Christian Churches which nestle in the pass of Oughtmana and which are dedicated to St. Colman. The church was constructed in the early 13th century and consists of a nave with an aisle on the south side

Craggaunowen is a 16th-century castle and an archaeological open-air museum in County Clare, Ireland. It was built around 1550 by John MacSioda MacNamara, a descendant of Sioda MacNamara, who built Knappogue Castle in 1467. The open-air museum was started by John Hunt. It features reconstructions of ancient Irish architecture, including a dolmen, a crannog, and the currach boat used in Tim Severins recreation of "The Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot".

Derreenataggart Stone Circle is about 1.5km west of Castletown Bere, close to the road and open to the public. It is about 8m in diameter and twelve stones of a probable fifteen survive. Thirty metres south-west of the circle, site CO115-011001 is "a raised sub-circular area of rough ground with a recent rectangular depression at its western edge".

Derrynane House was the home of Irish politician and statesman, Daniel O'Connell. It is now an National Monument and part of a 320-acre national historic park. The house is located on the Iveragh peninsula on the Ring of Kerry near the village of Derrynane in County Kerry, Ireland. The house displays relics of O'Connell's life and career. Guided tours of the house are available, along with a visual presentation. Access for visitors with disabilities is limited to the ground floor.

Desmond Castle in Kinsale dates from around 1500. It is a classic urban tower house, consisting of a three-storey keep with storehouses to the rear.It served as a prison in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Because it usually held French inmates, as well as Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch and Americans, it became known locally as the French Prison and carries that name to this day.

Desmond Castle is on Cork Street in Kinsale County Cork and was built as a custom house by the Earl of Desmond around 1500. It has had a colourful history, ranging from Spanish occupation in 1601 to use as a prison for captured American sailors during the American War of Independence. The castle was also used as a borough jail from 1791 to the onset of the Great Famine when it was used as an auxiliary workhouse tending to the starving populace.

Dinis Cottage on Dinis Island in Killarney National Park looks out over the Middle Lake and was built by the Herberts who at one time owned the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park . The cottage has been described as a hunting lodge and a woodcutter’s hut and dates back to the 1700s. It provides a tempting stop-off for the many visitors, walking the popular Muckross and Dinis 10km circular trail through the National Park and taking in Torc Waterfall.

This is a majestic 17th century country house in the Republic of Ireland which stands in 160 hectares of walled parkland near the town of Doneraile in County Cork. It remained the seat of the St Leger family from that time until the mid-20th century. The grounds in the vicinity of the house is laid out in the style of Capability Brown whilst the deer park contains Killarney Red, Sika and Fallow deer and the meadows a herd of Kerry cattle.

Doonagore Castle is a superb 16th century Irish castle, located on the oceanfront in County Clare, less than a kilometre from the village of Doolin. The castle is a round tower house with a small courtyard enclosed by a defensive wall. With its elevated position overlooking Doolin Point, the castle serves as a navigational landmark for boats approaching Doolin Pier.

Doonbeg Castle stands at the bottom of a little bay about three miles south of Tromra. It is in good preservation and partly inhabited by a poor family - about six miles north west of Kilrush. It is an iconic attraction in this area and there are so many things to see and do here.

Dromana Gate is a striking Hindu-Gothic gate lodge and was the entrance to Villierstown and the Dromana estate. Henry Villiers Stuart inherited the estate in the early part of the 18th century and in 1826 married an Austrian widow known as Theresia Pauline Ott of Vienna.The Gate-Lodge comprises of a central pointed archway topped with an onion dome and two side chambers, each with four windows and a fireplace.

Drombeg Stone Circle is a circle of 17 standing stones which on excavation showed that there had been an urn burial in the centre. Although not an especially significant example, Drombeg is one of the most visited megalithic sites in Ireland, and is protected under the National Monuments Act.

This castle began as a 13th-century hall house and was later converted into a tower house in the 15th/16th century. It was built by the followers of Thomas Butler Esq. in the 13th century. The hall house was originally only two storeys high, but two additional storeys were later added, and vaults added to the ground floor. A base batter is present and can be attributed to the earlier structure.

The ruins of Dunhill Castle is situated on a rock outcrop south of the village. The castle was owned by John Power in 1641 and traditionally it is thought to be an ancient stronghold which fell to Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. It is one of the iconic attractions in this area and there are so many opportunities for travelling through history.

Dysert O’Dea Castle and Archaeological Centre in Corofin is known for its wealth of historical and archaeological remains. Built in 1480 the castle is now an archaeological centre with more than twenty five archaeological and historical sites. The centre has a modern history room, 1700 AD to 2000 AD, a museum of local artefacts from 1000 BC to 700 AD, an audio visual presentation and a Roof Wall Walk.

The monastery of Dysert O'Dea is said to have been founded by Saint Tola in the 8th century. Most of the ruins of the Romanesque structure visible today date mainly from the 12th century. The lancet windows in the east gable were additions from the early 13th century. The stone arch, showing twelve human and seven animal heads, also dates to the 13th century. Inside the church is the grave of Joan O'Dea, wife of the last clan chieftain, Michael O'Dea.