Ballinskelligs Castle is a castle located near
Ballinskelligs
Ballinskelligs, officially (Irish for "town (townland) of the craggy rock"), is a townland in the civil parish of Prior, County Kerry, Ireland. It may also refer to the wider district around the townland. It is located in the south-west of the ...
on the
Iveragh Peninsula
The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its highest mountain, is als ...
in
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
The castle is situated on the western shore of Ballinskelligs Bay, on a narrow promontory which is subject to heavy erosion.
The castle was constructed by the
MacCarthy Mórs in the 16th century to protect the bay from pirates, and possibly in order to charge a tariff on incoming trade vessels.
References
Castles in County Kerry
{{Kerry-geo-stub