A large rectangular keepless castle built around 1300 by Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster ('the Red Earl'), to secure his newly won territory in south Sligo — regarded as the last of the great Norman castles built in Connacht. It later passed through Gaelic O'Connor and MacDonagh hands and changed possession repeatedly during the Nine Years' War.
Visiting Ballymote Castle
Ruin, freely accessible exterior
"A large rectangular keepless castle built around 1300 by Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster ('the Red Earl'), to secure his newly won territory in south Sligo — regarded as the last of the great Norman castles built in Connacht."
Where to stay nearby
The closest castle hotel is Markree Castle, 11.39 km away in Collooney — 14th-century fortified outpost of the McDonagh clan, granted to the Cooper family in 1663 and expanded over succeeding centuries; the estate later hosted a major astronomical observatory.
