56 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Ulster

Castle Ward is a highly unusual house built in 1762-60 by an unknown architect for Bernard Ward, later 1st Viscount Bangor and his wife. It is open to the public and includes 332 hectares of landscaped gardens, a fortified tower house, Victorian laundry, theatre, restaurant, shop, saw mill and a working corn mill. It has a shore on Strangford Lough. From 1985 to 2010 it has also hosted Castleward Opera, an annual summer opera festival.

Florence Court is a large 18th-century house and estate located 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is set in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The nearby village is distinguished by the one-word name Florencecourt. It is owned and managed by the National Trust and is the sister property of nearby Castle Coole. The other National Trust property in County Fermanagh is the Crom Estate.

This handsome Irish gentry house is surrounded by its 130-hectare wooded riverside estate. The former home of the MacGeough Bond family, a tour of this neo-classical masterpiece reveals it is unchanged since 1900 – the eclectic interior still evoking the family's tastes and interests. Outside there are sweeping vistas, superb spring bulbs, scenic walks and fascinating courtyard displays.

Newcastle is a small seaside resort town in County Down, Northern Ireland, which had a population of 7,672 at the 2011 Census. It lies by the Irish Sea at the foot of Slieve Donard, the highest of the Mourne Mountains. Newcastle is known for its sandy beach, forests and mountains. The town lies within the Newry, Mourne and Down District. The town aims to promote itself as the "activity resort" for Northern Ireland.

No 5 was built in 1772 as the Diocesan Registry by Archbishop Richard Robinson as part of his plans for the improvement of the City of Armagh. From the outside No 5 looks no different from the houses on either side. However, its small hallway opens into two beautiful, octagonal rooms with vaulted ceilings. The building used to hold records for the Church of Ireland and Armagh Diocese: the octagonal rooms contained many public as well as Church records.

A privately owned house set in 100 acres of magnificent parkland, woodlands and gardens near the town of Raphoe in the heart of County Donegal. Sitting in a lush landscape of parklands, lakes, mature woodlands, overlooking the distant Croaghan Mountain, the grounds include a hedge maze, sculpture and miles of walking paths. There is also a narrow gauge railway that winds its way over 4km of track within the estate.

Old Castle Archdale lies on a cliff in a forest, which was built in 1615 by John Archdale, an English planter from Suffolk. The castle was built on a T-plan with a defensive bawn 66 feet by 64 feet and 15 feet high with 2 flankers on its northern corners. This area of Fermanagh has a significant number of plantation castles that were built when lands seized by crown forces were redistributed or sold at very attractive rates to planters from both Scotland and England.

Portaferry Castle is a 16th-century tower-house, built by the Savage family and prominently located on the slope overlooking Portaferry harbour within sight of Strangford and Audley's Castles across the water. It is a square building with a small projecting turret on the south corner. It is three storeys high plus attic and there is no vault. Most of the eastern corner is in ruins. This house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Ballyphilip.

Portora Castle lies just north of the town of Enniskillen, in County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland. It is situated in the grounds of the Portora Royal School for Boys. It was built on the edge of a hill above the narrows where the Erne River widens into Lower Lough Erne at the site of an ancient crossing place of the Erne River between Connacht and Ulster. It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland of Portora, in Fermanagh District Council area.

Shane's Castle is the family seat of the O'Neills of Clanaboy. The Demesne is one of the most beautiful and well maintained in Ireland. The castle is on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh. Built in 1345 by a member of the Clandeboy O'Neill dynasty, it was originally called Eden-duff-carrick. Shane MacBrien O'Neill changed the name to Shane's Castle in 1722.

Sketrick Castle is a castle situated on Sketrick Island near Whiterock, County Down, Northern Ireland. This large tower house was built in the mid 15th century and was actively involved in warfare during the 16th century. It would have originally been four storeys high with a boat bay and subterranean passage. There were four chambers at ground level, the largest had a vault built on wicker centring and two ovens. The small unlighted room could have been a lock up or treasury.

Strangford Castle lies in the village of Strangford, in County Down, in Northern Ireland. The present Castle is a simple, small, 3-storey, rectangular tower house built in the late 16th century, however a blocked door of 15th century type at first floor level, seems to indicate the remodelling of an earlier tower. The castle has no vault or stone stairway; there would have been ladders to the upper floors.

The beautiful Glebe House and Gallery is located near Churchill, which is about 15 kilometres from Dunfanaghy. This 1828 Regency style house has the most wonderful setting on the shore of Lough Gartan. The English portrait and landscape painter Derek Hill lived and worked there from 1954 until he presented the house and his art collection to the Irish state in 1981.

Sloan’s House is a site of iconic significance in the history of the formation and heritage of the Orange Order. Following the Battle of the Diamond in 1795, the Orange Order was founded at a meeting held in James Sloan’s House. This is an opportunity to experience the early days of the Institution with an exhibition telling its story along with a replica parlour scene giving visitors a glimpse into that time.

Tully Castle is a fortified house on the southern shore of Lower Lough Erne. It was built for Sir John Hume, a Scottish planter, in 1619. The site contains a walking route taking in the grandeur of the castle, passes a traditional Irish cottage which houses an interactive exhibition before skirting the loughshore.

Woodford is one of a collection of traditional stone farm buildings located on the Crom estate that now function as cosy holiday homes, set on one of Ireland’s best conservation sites. This pretty cottage boast stunning views over a small woodland and a welcoming open fire.