We visited Ross Castle, located inside Killarney National Park in Ireland. It’s a castle right on the shore of a lake — the exterior and grounds are free to see, while going inside requires a paid guided tour.
In this post, I’ll cover everything from access and admission prices to what we saw on the guided tour inside, plus nearby sightseeing spots.
- Access, parking, opening season, and admission prices
- What you’ll see on the guided tour inside the castle
- The lake boat tours and jaunting car (horse-drawn carriage) rides
- Nearby sights worth combining with your visit
- How much time to plan for
- Where to stay nearby
Ross Castle Basics
Getting There
It’s about 2km from central Killarney, roughly a 5-minute drive. You can also walk there in about 20 minutes through the park. From April to October, there’s apparently a shuttle bus running from Killarney’s Discover Ireland Centre as well.
On the drive over, we passed several horse-drawn carriages. They were just driving along the road like any car, so I couldn’t resist taking a photo.
*As I’ll mention later, you can actually get to Ross Castle by horse-drawn carriage!
Parking
Parking is free (there are two lots). There’s space for about 40 cars, but it apparently fills up during busy periods like summer.
If you’re renting a car, it’s worth comparing rental rates around Killarney on DiscoverCars ahead of time.
The Walk to the Castle
We drove there, and as soon as we got out of the car at the parking lot, the castle was right in view.
There’s a lawn right in front of the castle, with a view of the lake it sits on, Lough Leane.
There were waterbirds along the shore, and it felt like a wonderfully open, spacious spot.
Walking up the slope to the side brings you to the castle entrance.
Can You Go Inside? About the Guided Tour
The exterior, grounds, and one room inside (which has some exhibits and information) are free to view year-round.
Actually going inside the rest of the castle is only possible from early March to early November, and only as part of a guided tour.
As soon as you enter the castle, there’s a reception desk right in front of you.
Admission Prices
Adult: €5 (approx. $5.50)
Senior/Group: €4 (approx. $4.40)
Child/Student: €3 (approx. $3.30)
Family: €13 (approx. $14.30)
The tour lasts about 40 minutes. The castle is open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with the first tour starting at 10:00 AM and the last one starting at 4:55 PM.
!The guided tour is first-come, first-served, with a maximum of 15 people per group, and we were told individuals can’t reserve a spot online in advance.
We Joined the Guided Tour Inside!
On the guided tour, a staff member walks you through each room and explains everything in detail.
Photos weren’t allowed inside. The tour works by going through the rooms starting from the lower floors, and along the way, the guide explains what daily life was like back then.
Dishes, fireplaces, and even toilets that were actually used back then are still there, which made it really easy to picture how people lived at the time.
This castle was actually the site of a real battle. There was apparently a legend that it would never fall until ships floated on this lake — and when one of Cromwell’s generals actually put ships on the lake, the castle’s defenders saw the prophecy coming true and surrendered without a fight. Its land defenses were apparently very solid, but an attack from the lake side was something they hadn’t planned for.
The local guide’s explanation is probably more accurate than mine, but when I looked into it, Ross Castle turned out to be a really interesting place.
When you visit castles around Ireland, the names Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Cromwell come up again and again. Ross Castle is closely tied to Cromwell in particular.
England’s King Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in 1541. England had already held the area around Dublin, but the aim was to tighten its grip over the whole island.
There are several reasons behind this, but my personal favorite has to do with geography. At the time, England (marked by the red castle) was sandwiched between two rivals, Scotland (the blue circle) and France.
By tightening its actual control over Ireland, England is thought to have been trying to prevent Ireland from allying with those two countries and threatening it from behind. Religion, the politics of the time, and the royal bloodlines all add more nuance to the picture, but the big-picture story comes down to avoiding a potential enemy at your back. This was a long process, stretching roughly 90 years from 1541 to 1652.
By the time of Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth I, England pushed its military campaigns further, extending control into central Ireland. Later, England went through its own political upheaval, removing the monarchy in favor of a parliament-led government — and the de facto leader during that period was Cromwell.
Cromwell launched his full-scale invasion in 1649. He seized the southern ports (such as Kinsale) to cut off any lines of communication with France, while pushing his forces further inland. After Galway, the westernmost stronghold, finally fell, the remaining Irish resistance gathered at Ross Castle. Being relatively inland yet right on a lake, it wasn’t an easy castle to take. Ireland’s hilly terrain and extensive wetlands also made it difficult to move heavy siege weapons or large armies, which made the castle even harder to capture.
But Cromwell had boats built in places like Kinsale, broken down into sections, transported in, and reassembled on the lake in front of Ross Castle, putting ships right there on the water. There had been earlier instances in history of hauling boats over mountains for battle, too. Still, this was naturally a very difficult place to get boats to in the first place, so while the legend plays a part, I suspect the surrender also came down to the garrison seeing just how much Cromwell was willing to invest and how badly outmatched they were in raw strength. There’s also the ruin of another castle on the same lakeshore, known as Castlelough Castle, which was attacked with cannon fire and fell — and I imagine that chipped away at the garrison’s will to keep fighting too. The war itself wouldn’t fully end for a little while longer, but by 1652, the outcome was effectively decided at Ross Castle.
*Because the surrender happened without a fierce final assault, Ross Castle was left in remarkably good condition for future generations.
On each floor, there was time for an explanation, followed by time for questions and time to look around freely.
It was just us and one other group, neither of us native English speakers, and the guide spoke slowly and used easy-to-follow language for us.
The Café Outside
There’s a café just outside the castle.
The menu had things like coffee, cookies, and soft-serve ice cream.
It happened to be raining the day we visited, but there was a covered area, so we were able to relax and enjoy the view of the castle anyway.
How Much Time to Plan For
From arriving at the parking lot to finishing our ice cream at the café, it took about 2 hours total, including time to walk around outside and time spent waiting for the guided tour.
If you just want to see the castle itself quickly, I think you could do it in about an hour. It’d be even quicker without the guided tour — though I really do recommend doing the tour!
The castle itself is fairly small, but this is a really interesting area with other things to see and do nearby.
Let me go into more detail.
Nearby Things to Do
Lake Boat Tours and Jaunting Cars
There’s a dock right in front of Ross Castle, with boat tours that cruise around Lough Leane, the lake inside Killarney National Park.
It’s a covered, heated boat tour where you can listen to a guide while taking in views of the islands and the castle from out on the water.
*The boats depart right from the castle!
The horse-drawn “jaunting car” carriages are also quite famous here, and you’ll spot plenty of them if you’re driving around.
It’s a traditional style of sightseeing, with the driver (called a “jarvey”) guiding you while sharing local history and culture.
We didn’t try it ourselves this time, but it looked like a lot of fun, and plenty of people were using it.
There are tours available in various combinations, and you can book in advance through GetYourGuide.
If you search “Ross Castle” from that link, a lot of tours come up.
The listings include things like how long each tour takes, so booking one that fits your schedule should make the visit even more enjoyable.
Nearby Sightseeing Spots
Killarney National Park, where Ross Castle is located, has plenty of other highlights too. We didn’t visit these ourselves this time, but here’s some general information.
① Muckross House & Gardens: A 19th-century Victorian-style mansion. The gardens are free to visit (Muckross Abbey is also nearby).
② Torc Waterfall: A waterfall about 20 meters high. It’s set in an old-growth forest, with a trail leading up to a viewing point.
They’re spread out from each other, but it’s possible to see them all in a single day.
Where to Stay Nearby
For a home base near Ross Castle, we’d recommend the town of Killarney.
There are plenty of hotel and B&B options, and Ross Castle is an easy distance away by car or on foot.
The town is quite lively, like this, with lots of hotels and pubs.
There are souvenir shops and even one of Ireland’s largest Aran sweater stores, and every shop we stepped into was fun to browse.
At night, you can apparently hear live Irish music drifting out of the pubs — it’s a town you can enjoy from morning till night.
We drove there as a day trip from Cork city. It’s close enough that you could fit in a jaunting car ride and a boat tour too, but it felt like it would make for a pretty rushed day.
Apparently the classic way to do it is to combine hiking around the national park with scenic drives nearby, staying 1-2 nights in Killarney to take your time.
You can reach nearby Killarney by bus,
or by train.
There are also plenty of parking options, including a large lot by the station and several more around town (mostly paid), so finding a spot shouldn’t be a problem.
In Summary
We decided on a whim to go see Ross Castle, but there turned out to be so much to see that we couldn’t possibly cover it all.
There are plenty of fun activities nearby too, like the lake boat tours and jaunting cars, and simply wandering around the town of Killarney is a lot of fun as well.
We’d really recommend giving yourself plenty of time when you visit!
Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end.
