Ruins in Ireland

Discover 34 unusual ruins in Ireland.

Lisnagrave, Ireland

Dunlough Castle

The eerie remains of one of Ireland's oldest castles, said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who brings ill fate.

Clonmacnoise, Ireland

Clonmacnoise

The ruins of a sixth-century monastery sit on the banks of the River Shannon.

Kilmacduagh, Co. Galway, Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement

The ruins of a monastery that dates to the 7th century.

Teampall Bheanáin

Killeany, Ireland

Teampall Bheanáin

A diminutive, thousand-year-old church believed to be the smallest in Ireland.

View of Moorabbey from the road

Riverview, Ireland

Moor Abbey

The remains of a 13th-century Franciscan friary have survived multiple attempts at destruction, most recently in 1921.

The Hill of Uisneach

Westmeath, Ireland

The Hill of Uisneach

The symbolic center of Ireland, this summit also offers panoramic views of the countryside.

Kite aerial photograph of the Multivallate Ringfort at Rathrá, Co Roscommon, Ireland.

Rathcroghan

This ancient Irish landscape boasts hundreds of legendary ruins.

Permanently Closed

Lecarrow, Ireland

Rindoon

Wander among the abandoned ruins of this once-powerful medieval town.

Hore Abbey.

Cashel, Ireland

Hore Abbey

The ruins of a medieval monastery named after a type of tree.

Menlo Castle

Galway, Ireland

Abandoned Menlo Castle

A moody and picturesque riverside ruin overgrown with vegetation.

Front view of Castle O'Brien.

Inisheer, Ireland

O'Brien's Castle

These moss-covered medieval ruins tower atop the smallest of Ireland's Aran Islands.

Inside the ruins of the old priory.

Kilkenny, Ireland

Kells Priory

These imposing walls and towers look more like the ruins of a fortress than a monastery.

Athenry Dominican Priory.

Athenry, Ireland

Athenry Dominican Priory

Ruins battered by centuries of war and disaster offer a wondrous glimpse of medieval Ireland.

Tankardstown Engine House.

Waterford, Ireland

Tankardstown Engine House

Impressive mining ruins overlook a spectacular view of Ireland's Copper Coast.

The medieval Church of Saint Nicholas.

The Lost Town of Newtown Jerpoint (Jerpoint Park)

Local legend says the remains of Father Christmas lie within the medieval grounds.

Kilmacduagh round tower in the burren Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Kilmacduagh Round Tower

The ruins of an 800-year-old monastery boasts the tallest round tower in Ireland.