Built by the MacNamara clan around 1467, this fortified residence served as both a defensive stronghold and a symbol of power during turbulent times when local chieftains needed to protect their lands and demonstrate their authority. The castle’s name derives from the Irish ‘Cnoc Phóg’, meaning ‘Hill of the Kiss’, though the romantic origins of this designation have been lost to time.

The structure follows the classic Irish tower house design with its rectangular plan and vertical emphasis, originally standing four storeys high with a distinctive Irish stepped battlements crowning the walls. Unlike many of its contemporaries that fell into ruin, Knappogue has enjoyed several periods of restoration, most notably in the 19th century when it was expanded with a Georgian wing, and again in the mid-20th century when American businessman Mark Edwin Andrews purchased and carefully restored it. The castle’s defensive features remain impressively intact, including murder holes above the entrance, narrow arrow loops for defence, and a spiral staircase cleverly designed to favour right-handed defenders descending from above.

Today, Knappogue Castle offers visitors a remarkably complete example of how Gaelic nobility lived during the late medieval period. The great hall, with its massive fireplace and restored oak beams, once hosted gatherings where the MacNamaras would have dispensed justice and entertained allies. The castle’s collection includes period furnishings and artwork that help illustrate five centuries of Irish history, from its origins as a Gaelic stronghold through its transformation into a Victorian country residence. Medieval banquets are now held in the same spaces where the MacNamaras once feasted, allowing modern visitors to experience a taste of the hospitality that these tower houses were famous for, albeit with rather better plumbing than the original inhabitants enjoyed.