Built sometime in the 15th or 16th century, this tower house represents the type of fortified dwelling favoured by Gaelic and Anglo-Norman families throughout Ireland during turbulent times. The castle’s simple rectangular design, typical of Irish tower houses, features thick limestone walls and narrow defensive windows that speak to an era when comfort took second place to security.

The castle’s history is somewhat murky, though it likely belonged to a branch of the O’Brien clan who dominated much of County Clare for centuries. Local tradition suggests it may have been associated with the MacNamara family at various points, as territorial control shifted between these powerful Gaelic dynasties. The structure originally stood four or five storeys high, with each floor serving a distinct purpose; the ground level for storage, upper floors for living quarters, and the topmost level for defence. Today, only partial walls remain, with much of the upper portions having collapsed over the centuries.

Despite its ruined state, Ballyallia Castle offers visitors a tangible connection to medieval Ireland’s complex social landscape. The surviving walls show evidence of a murder hole above the entrance, a spiral staircase built into the thickness of the wall, and the remains of a barrel vault that once supported the floors above. Standing in what was once the great hall, you can still make out the stone corbels that supported wooden beams and imagine the castle in its prime; smoke from the hearth filling the chambers whilst local chieftains planned raids, arranged marriages, and navigated the treacherous politics of Gaelic Ireland.