Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Dromore Castle Co Limerick




Dromore Castle was designed in the Gothic revival style by Edward William Godwin and built for the Earl of Limerick in the early 1870's. It was abandoned by the family during World War 1 and finally sold in 1939. It's slow descent into decay began in the 1950's when the roof was removed to avoid rates being applied to the building and was later listed for demolition, although thankfully this has not come to pass. The present owners live in a nearby house. The castle achieved some fame in the 1980's when film director Neil Jordan chose it to feature in his ghostly comedy "High Spirits".
It consists of a three storey block, side tower and a round tower to the rear. It is not possible to access the interior but the view of the castle from the outside is breathtaking.
The castle lies on a hill by a lake in a large copse in a forest. When we visited there was a sign on the entrance gate that said private property (which it is) but the gate was open and there is a nice lodge house just inside. We got no answer from the lodge but in the windows were some ghastly looking skulls with candles protruding from the tops (souvenirs from High Spirits perhaps?). We decided to walk up the forest road in the hope of meeting the owners to ask if we could visit the castle but about 10 minutes later we suddenly came out of the woods in full view of the castle itself. It was worth the walk. We had a browse around and took a few photos then decided we had intruded enough. We may have been lucky to get access that day but it's still worth your while to see if you can get permission, you wont be disappointed.
To find Dromore take the N69 out of Limerick toward Askeaton (the site of another ruin! See post here)  After Kildimo look for a right hand turn around Glenameade. it is a narrow road but you will see a gateway on the right with a lodge house. Parking is tight but can be done easily enough.
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34 comments:

  1. Unknown2 August 2013 at 23:13

    I have created a little video with my solo guitar version of the Castle of Dromore. I would like to use a few of these pics with your permission. If it is alright with you, please tell me how you would like to be accredited in the description.

    Thank You,
    John Francis

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    1. Castlehunter4 August 2013 at 13:52

      Hi John

      I certainly don't mind you using some of the pics. Just state with permission of Ireland In Ruins Blog and that will be fine. Let me know when and where your video is available I would love to hear your guitar solo.

      Delete
    2. Unknown5 August 2013 at 09:09

      Thank you so much! The previously unlisted video which I posted for you and a few others a few days ago has now been made public. It can be viewed at:
      http://youtu.be/eioRJi03HE4

      The credit with link is in the description. You may need to click "show more." If you can think of anything that I may need to change or add, please let me know.

      Best Always,
      John

      Delete
  2. Unknown16 December 2013 at 07:55

    In my childhood I used to run through every inch of that place with my cousins. In the 1970's it was "the" place for local teenagers to gather. Nearly every inch in there can be explored, especially a HUGE main hall room with an amazing fireplace. I also remember that the stone stairway in the tower goes about 3/4 of the way up until you come to a part where about 8 feet of the stairway had fallen away -creating a 'mysterious' ambiance as you looked up and wondered what lay at the top!!!

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    1. Castlehunter16 December 2013 at 13:29

      Hi

      That must have been great as a child to have a playground like that! Thanks for sharing the info. Hopefully some day I'd like to get a look inside myself.

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  3. Unknown26 January 2015 at 20:02

    Hi,
    Is that the castle is maintained ?? and is it possible to contact the owner?

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    1. Castlehunter27 January 2015 at 11:28

      Hi,
      As far as I know the property is not maintained and the last I heard was that the the owners are a private investment company. Unfortunately I don't have any idea who to contact.

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    2. Kat2 June 2017 at 17:03

      Hi, the castle used to belong to my husband's family. They sold it in the 60s (I think) and sadly the new owners fell on hard times in the 70s and took the roof off to avoid tax. Then the castle was plundered for all its features such as floors, fireplaces, marble etc. We visited it in 2001/2002 and met the owner who lived in the stable block below. He fantasised about renovating the castle one day. It is an amazing place and my father in law remembers staying there as a child when it was still in one piece. Sad to see it as a ruin but glad it gives so many kids pleasure and that worries about liability insurance doesn't mean that it is barricaded off. I hope we can take our kids there one day to visit.

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    3. Kat2 June 2017 at 17:08

      PS, the owner in 2002 was someone by the surname of Kelly. Not sure about now. he lived in the stable block below the castle.

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    4. Kat2 June 2017 at 17:13

      PPS, got my dates wrong, the roof came off in the 50s so I guess it was sold prior to then as I know my husband's family didn't take the roof off.

      Delete
  4. Unknown28 January 2015 at 15:20

    thank you, castle hunter, I will soon see this place, it's a shame to spoil this wonder.

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    1. Castlehunter30 January 2015 at 12:56

      I will return someday too. I hope you get to have a look inside.

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  5. Unknown2 February 2015 at 19:30

    My wife and I will be traveling to Ireland in July, 2015, I hope to be able to visit Dromore Castle, if time permits. I first saw the castle in the movie "High Spirits", and fell in love with the architecture. Looking forward to our visit.

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    1. Castlehunter3 February 2015 at 17:19

      Hi Edward
      Well worth your while taking a look. Its located in such a pleasant setting as well. Have a good trip!

      Delete
  6. Unknown18 September 2015 at 16:31

    Hi. It's possible to explore inside. Clash hunter I will be there end of the month. While I'm here. Do you know a goog place fpr the night ? Pub celtic music .. ?

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    1. Castlehunter19 September 2015 at 20:05

      Hi John. It's on private land so I don't think you can access the inside. We stayed in the Clarion suites in limerick and found some good Irish music at Dolan's pub on Dock Rd Limerick. Enjoy your visit!

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    2. Unknown20 September 2015 at 15:35

      Thank you for the informations. Bye

      Delete
    3. Unknown20 September 2015 at 15:35

      Thank you for the informations. Bye

      Delete
  7. Unknown18 September 2015 at 16:31

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Unknown8 August 2016 at 22:39

    Hello there, I have a question: very close to Dromore Castle just beside northern road are some ruins of square building with hole in the middle of it. Does anybody knows what is that or what was that please? For any answer t y v m. Adam

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  9. Castlehunter9 August 2016 at 19:37

    Hi Adam. I'm not familiar with Northern Road. Can you tell me where it is in relation to Dromore Castle entrance gates?

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  10. Unknown18 September 2016 at 01:56

    my gallery of that castle here: https://goo.gl/photos/PQc48L9SttUNXUFZ9

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    1. Castlehunter19 September 2016 at 11:43

      Brilliant photos Krzysztof great to see thos interior shots. I will have to return again soon.

      Delete
  11. Unknown19 March 2018 at 16:54

    Would the current owners not sell it on as I was there today and it’s still possible to get to the fifth floor up the spiral staircase, it’s a real shame to see it in that state and it’s obvious they can’t afford to renovate it back to its former glory if they purchased it in 1950’s

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  12. John5 September 2019 at 08:51

    I would like to go there soon is it often watched ?

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  13. YuKnoMee7 September 2019 at 00:40

    Came across this site while doing some research. After reading some of the comments here I thought I’d add some information. Two things really. First, is the current owner purchased the property in the mid 1980's from what I understand and had fantastic plans to restore it but the plans weren't backed by any state agency and insurance for the works made restoration completely uneconomical. Second is, in reply to Johns 5th of Sept comment, it is watched, I work in the there from time to time. The property is private property and the owner has the castle closed off because it simply isn't safe to enter.

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    1. John2 October 2019 at 11:12

      I understand it's normal. I hope they can restore it. greetings

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  14. Castlehunter12 September 2019 at 16:16

    Thanks for adding that info YuKnoMee

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  15. Alchemy Photography19 September 2020 at 09:18

    Here is some recent filming I made.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EuhpD8OvoI

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    1. Castlehunter19 September 2020 at 16:32

      Wonderful aerial shots.It is sad to see the interior of this remarkable edifice so overgrown inside.

      Delete
  16. Duncan30 October 2020 at 14:49

    The man who built it was utterly delighted that his Irish tenants were decidedly rebellious (I nearly said they were revolting, but thought better of it!)because this meant that he could built a proper, fortified castle rather than one of those mansions that merely look like one. It is properly defensible. Just look at it, no windows on the lower floors(to speak of)and it had genuine loopholes from which you could shoot at anyone daring to 'have a go'. It's real problem was that, from the word go, it was damp and no amount of work seemed to be able to fix it. After all, it's a lot smaller(and solider!)than many other Irish houses that survived Ireland's turbulent C20th and I think this is generally considered to be the real reason why it was abandoned.

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  17. Castlehunter7 November 2020 at 19:44

    Interesting thoughts on that. Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Jill - aka the JM22 February 2022 at 18:21

    On google maps the gate you speak of looks very closed and has many large NO TRESPASSING signs. https://www.google.com/maps/@52.6331951,-8.8423552,3a,53.1y,27.2h,87.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scq2XBWrBRpF72n8TH_hn1Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
    How do/can you get on the property??

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    1. Castlehunter26 February 2022 at 15:35

      Hi Jill, It was inevitable I suppose that they would lock up the property. It's a few years since I was there so it's good to have an update. That at the time seemed the only point of entry. Perhaps someone reading might share some info.

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