09 Feb Cahir Castle
The name Cahir means fort , and you will not be disappointed if you visit this “fort” on any Ireland tours.
The castle is Anglo-Norman and goes back to the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries , though the virgin appearance of the outer shell is deceptive. A good deal of the brickwork dates back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The Irish chieftain Conor O’Brien was the first to build a fortress on the rock. But it was the Anglo-Norman Butlers , the Earls of Ormond , who made it into one of the most powerful castles in Ireland.
The Earl of Essex showered the castle with artillery fire in 1599 and gradually it fell into disrepair. It was rejuvenated , along with other town buildings , by the Earl of Glengall in the mid nineteenth century.
So if you are on tours of Ireland , passing the town of Cahir , then visit the castle. It is much more of a must see attraction than a hidden gem.