Ballyhooly Castle

Ballyhooly Castle lies in the village of the same name, in County Cork, in Ireland.

Ballyhooly Castle was built in 1314 by William Roche on a rock on the left bank of the River Blackwater to guard a ford at that location. The Norman Roches dominated this area in medieval times.

The castle was held by Irish Royalists in 1645, during the Irish Confederate Wars. It was later recaptured by the Parliamentarian army of Oliver Cromwell, along with all the castles in the Blackwater valley. After the war the Roches' possessions were forfeited and possession of the castle passed to a Richard Aldworth. 

In 1862 Ballyhooly was restored and a fishing lodge was added in the 1920s.

Ballyhooly Castle is a private residence. The fishing lodge can be rented, so maybe you can visit it as a guest of that facility. It can easily be seen from the public road. Too bad it can not normally be visited, it looks great.

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