Portumna Castle:  Fun Things to Know About a Central Ireland Landmark

Central Ireland, in Connacht Province, is where you'll find the elegant Portumna Castle. To reach Portumna Castle in County Galway from the Dublin Airport, expect a two-hour drive heading west.

Your journey by car will take you along the bustling M4 and the M6, and then you'll follow the much quieter R455 to Castle and Abbey Streets in Portumna until you reach the parking area for the castle.    

Things to Know About Portumna Castle

Unlike many of the residential castles in Ireland, which had defense as their first priority, Portumna Castle is only partially fortified.

As a result, its exterior is more ornamental, and less fortress-like, than most other castles on this list.

Portumna is located in County Galway, and it was built in the early 17th century by an earl. Incredibly expensive for the time, Portumna was the height of elegance and grandeur in Ireland in the 17th century.

Although abandoned for nearly a century, restoration work in the late 20th century has reinvigorated the property, which is now open to the public.

Want More Irish Castles?

It is probably obvious - at Irish Expressions, we love Irish castles!  The Emerald Isle is dotted with hundreds of these incredible structures.  

Sharing pictures and stories about them gives us a deeper sense of connection with Ireland, wherever in the world we happen to be!

We have captured the most amazing pictures and descriptions of Irish castles in an e-book we call "An Illustrated Guide to Irish Castles and Abbeys."

This fun, free guide is available to you to download.  Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email to get instant access!

Want Even More? :-)

For more information of this kind, you might pay a visit to our section on Ireland Castle Vacations here!

And for travel ideas in general, check out our section on Ireland Travel Destinations.

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