A striking Jacobean semi-fortified manor house — one of Ireland's finest early 1600s transitional buildings — set in formal gardens on the shore of Lough Derg, right beside Portumna Forest Park.
The restored ground floor houses 26 information panels, family portraits, and a short audio-visual show tracing the story of the de Burgo (Burke) family, who built the castle around 1618 and held it for over 200 years until a devastating fire in 1826. Guided tours lasting about an hour are included with admission.
Approach the castle through three formal garden enclosures. The Lady's Garden, closest to the house, features historic bush roses, box hedging, and clipped bay lollipop trees. The second walled garden has wide geometric lawns, specimen black walnuts, and espalier fruit trees underplanted with lavender.
Over an acre of organically grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a restored 17th-century potager garden. Don't miss the scented wisteria archway (peak mid-May), the willow maze that grows denser through summer, and the thatched gazebo draped in grapes. The produce supplies the on-site tea rooms.
The restored stable courtyard houses a gift shop, an exhibition room upstairs, and CaToCa Fine Food tea rooms. Enjoy breakfast, light lunches, or afternoon tea made with local artisan ingredients — many sourced from the kitchen garden itself. Play chess on the outdoor board while you wait.
A short walk from the tea rooms gate leads to the atmospheric ruins of a 13th-century Dominican priory, then on to the marina and forest park. The friary's weathered stonework makes a quiet counterpoint to the castle's formal grandeur.
Directly adjacent: 600 hectares of marked woodland and lakeshore trails, cycling routes, and a visitor centre. The 1,500-acre castle demesne is a designated wildlife sanctuary — watch for red and fallow deer along the river corridor.
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