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Castle · Oranmore

Oranmore Castle

At the water's edge below Oranmore, a square tower with a stair turret and gun loops looks out over the inner bay. Oranmore Castle was most likely built in the fifteenth century, perhaps over an older fortified house, and it was the Clanricardes' stronghold when the town rose with Confederate Ireland in 1642 and the earl held out inside it.

Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.

The Oranmore Castle in Galway
The Oranmore Castle in Galway
KevinSchnippkoweit, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Oranmore Castle, Rinville Castle on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.

Holding out in 1642

In March 1642 Oranmore joined the Confederate rebellion, against which the castle's owners, the Marquess and fifth Earl of Clanricarde, held firm; Clanricarde kept the Fort of Galway supplied by sea until 1643, when Captain Willoughby, the governor, surrendered it without his sanction. Ownership was lost for a time, but the sixth earl recovered it and in 1666 leased the castle to Walter Athy, whose descendants held it until 1853, when it was abandoned.

Reroofed, and on screen

The castle had fallen into disrepair when Anita Leslie bought it and had it reroofed. It is a rectangular tower house of four storeys with a square staircase turret and gun loops on the ground floor. It appeared on Scariest Places on Earth in March 2001, was used in the filming of Alfred the Great and the Jack Taylor film The Pikeman, and its exterior stands in for a French donjon in the television series Reign. Rinville Park and the shore path lie to the south; the model on this page pins the castle and the village.

Questions people ask

How old is Oranmore Castle?
Most likely fifteenth century, possibly built over an older fortified house; the Clanricardes used it as a stronghold.
Can you visit Oranmore Castle?
It is privately owned; the tower stands on the shore at the edge of the village and can be seen from the road and the bay.
Which films used Oranmore Castle?
Alfred the Great, the Jack Taylor film The Pikeman, and the series Reign, where its exterior is a French donjon.

Written from Wikipedia, "Oranmore Castle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.