Castles

The map of Castles identifies the famous castles in the UK with a history dating back many centuries. The Star Castle in the Isles of Scilly is a star fortress and one of the largest in Europe.  It is not a castle, but its historical significance makes it worth investigating.

The Carlingford Castle is a castle in Ireland and was home to the powerful Ward family from medieval times until the 17th century when it was abandoned by Owen Ward  - a man who had to leave Belfast at the height of the Irish Rebellion. His grandson Charles Ward first visited the site during the 1798 rebellion fighting. He embarked on a romance with the farmer's daughter Margaret Delaney; in 1802, they married and converted the building into a family home.

The Donegal Castle is a 16th-century tower house that has been transformed to resemble a castle over the years. These Cistercian ruins date back to the 12th century and feature a square, two-storeyed, stone main building with gabled ends. The mill had been working until the early 1900s. Now renovated, these ruins are beautiful and worth visiting if you are on a road trip around Donegal.

The Castle Sween is another beautiful 15th-century castle that features a tower house situated on the western shore of Donegal Bay.  Known as Dunshiene Castle, it is the ancestral home of the Clan McClelland.  The McSweeny family may have built the castle in memory of Sween.  They settled here after being expelled from Kintyre by John of Islay, Lord of the Isles in the mid 13th century.  In 1753, the McClelland clan became The McSween Mhic Shomhairle and were given McDonnell's Barons of Dunsany. The main attraction of Castle Sween is a medieval well. There are five large towers on the original castle, and the central tower was once used as a signal post to monitor the movements of ships in the area.

The Ardvreck Castle is a 15th-century tower house.  The castle is situated at the entrance to Loch Dunvegan, on the West Highland coast of Scotland.  Sir John Dunvegan began construction in 1450.  Ardvreck Castle was home to the Clan Campbell for over 400 years, and in more modern times, Sir Ian Or's wife, Anne, was Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting.  Ardvreck Castle is famous for where Flora MacDonald lived during the '45 and hid Prince Charles using the now-famous cave. The castle became a category A listed building meaning it is of national historical or architectural importance.