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Dunguaire (or Dungory) Castle was built in 1520 and was first occupied by the O’Hyne family, a descendant of the 7th Century King Guaire of Connacht. The earthworks on the adjacent headland is thought to have been King Guaire’s original fort, hence the name.

Strictly speaking the building is not a castle but more a fortified residence, popular in western Ireland in the 15th to 17th Centuries, known as a “tower house”.

It passed to the Martyn family of Galway in the 17th Century, and they continued to own it until 1924 when it was bought by Oliver St John Gogarty in 1924, who thought never living there carried out some repair work. Gogarty was an eminent head and neck surgeon, as well as being a poet, author, athlete and politician. He was the inspiration behind the character Buck Mulligan in James Joyce’s Ulysses.

The restoration was completed by Christabel, Lady Ampthill (famed for the Russell v Russell adultery or “virgin birth” case) who acquired the castle in 1954. It was opened to visitors in 1966 and since 1972 has been owned by the regional development body, Shannon Development. It is now a popular stop on the Burren tourist circuit, among the activities taking place there being the hosting of mediaeval banquets.