What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 1pm

Drimnagh Castle

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Drimnagh Castle

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Drimnagh Castle can be hired for: Film, Television, Photography, Presentations, School Tours.

Visit Drimnagh Castle, Ireland's only remaining moated castle. 🏰
Guided and self guided visits
Mon-Thu: 10 am - 4 pm (last entry 3 pm)
Fri: 10 am 12 pm (last entry 11.30 am)
Call 353-1-4502530 to book a guided tour.

14/10/2026

One of Europe’s Most Haunted Castles?

In 2023, Drimnagh Castle was named among Europe’s most haunted castles after researchers looked at how often visitors described castles as “haunted” in online reviews.

Drimnagh has long had its own ghost stories, most famously the legend of Eleanora Barnewall, who is said to wander the castle searching for her lost love.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, old castles have a way of gathering stories.

Would you spend a night here alone?

07/10/2026

Watching from the Shadows

Look closely around a medieval castle and you might find strange faces and creatures staring back.

We often call them gargoyles, although strictly speaking a gargoyle is a carved waterspout. Decorative creatures are more properly called grotesques.
Some were frightening, some comic and others downright strange.

Stone carvers clearly had imagination, and a sense of humor.
So what about the grotesque lurking beneath the stairs at Drimnagh Castle?
Was it meant to frighten people...or make them smile?

01/10/2026

October at Drimnagh Castle: tales of the dead

For medieval people, ghosts were more than stories.
Death and the afterlife were part of everyday religious belief. Stories were told of the dead returning to ask for prayers, confess a sin, settle unfinished business or warn the living.
Sometimes, the greater fear was that the visitor was not a human soul, but a demon.

If someone knocked at the castle door after dark, would you open it?

23/09/2026

September at Drimnagh: remembering the people behind castle life.

We remember the family who owned the castle, but we should also remember the people whose work made castle life possible.

As September moves on, there is still food growing in the garden at Drimnagh. In the medieval period, this was an important time of year: food had to be grown, harvested, stored and prepared for the colder months ahead.

That work depended on farmers, tenants, labourers, servants and cooks — most of
whose names are lost to us.

But they were here too.

09/09/2026

A stonemason returns to Drimnagh

A couple of weeks ago, one of the German stonemasons who worked on the restoration of Drimnagh Castle returned for a visit.

He showed us some of his stonework — including his initials still carved into the stone.

03/09/2026

Spotted in Penneys Liffey Valley… 👀
Could that be Drimnagh Castle?

26/08/2026

From 1066 to Drimnagh?

While exploring the Dúchas Schools’ Collection, we came across an intriguing old account of the Barnewell family.

It records that “a certain Sieur de Barneville came with William the Conqueror to England in 1066”, with later generations of the family eventually becoming associated with Ireland and Drimnagh Castle.

19/08/2026

Lights, camera...Drimnagh!

Did you know that scenes from Ella Enchanted with Anne Hathaway were filmed in Drimnagh Castle?

Movie magic, including CGI, helped transform the castle for the big screen, but the medieval setting you see is very real.

Have you spotted Drimnagh Castle in any other films or series?

12/08/2026

Cats at the Castle: Then and Now

Cats were a familiar part of medieval Ireland, and they played a useful role in a castle household.
Stored food attracted mice and rats. For a cat, a castle offered plenty of reasons to stay: shelter, scraps, and a ready supply of prey. For the household, a good mouser helped protect valuable food stores.

This recent visitor to Drimnagh Castle seems to have discovered that the castle walls still make an excellent lookout.

06/08/2026

Why isn't Drimnagh Castle open at weekends?

It's one of the questions we are asked most often.
Drimnagh Castle is a local community heritage site run by a small team of part-time staff and guides. We are currently open Monday to Friday.

Monday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm (Last entry 3:00pm)
Friday: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm (Last entry 11:30am)

Important: On occasion, access may be limited during school visits or private events. Please feel free to contact us before your visit.

Visitors are welcome to explore the castle on a self-guided visit or by pre-booking a guided tour so we can ensure a guide is available.

Phone: 00 353 1 4502530

Whether you choose a guided or self-guided visit, thank you for supporting Drimnagh Castle. We look forward to welcoming you.

Address

Drimnagh Castle, Longmile Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12
Dublin

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 1pm

Telephone

+35314502530

Website

http://www.drimnaghcastle.org/

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