Built around 1520 by the O’Hynes clan on the site of an earlier fort belonging to Guaire Aidhne, a 7th-century king of Connacht, the castle takes its name from this ancient royal connection. The strategic location wasn’t chosen by accident; this spot where the River Dungory meets the sea had been fortified for nearly a thousand years before the current structure was built.

The castle changed hands numerous times throughout its turbulent history, passing from the O’Hynes to the Martyn family of Galway, then to Oliver St. John Gogarty, the celebrated surgeon, writer, and inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Gogarty purchased the deteriorating castle in 1924 and began restoration work, hosting literary gatherings that attracted luminaries like W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and Lady Gregory. After Gogarty emigrated to America in 1939, the castle fell into disrepair until Lady Christabel Ampthill acquired it in 1954, completing the restoration her predecessor had begun.

Today, visitors can explore the castle’s four floors, climbing the narrow spiral staircase to enjoy spectacular views across Galway Bay to the Burren. During summer months, the castle hosts medieval banquets complete with traditional music and storytelling, keeping alive the tradition of hospitality that dates back to King Guaire himself, who was renowned throughout Ireland for his generosity. The castle’s distinctive silhouette, particularly striking when illuminated at night or reflected in the bay’s calm waters at high tide, has made it an enduring symbol of Ireland’s medieval heritage.