Lynch's Castle, Galway

Map Reference: M298252 (1298, 2252)



This tower house dates from the early 16th century but it was extensively altered in the 1960s when it became a bank. The scoured stonework makes it look like a modern building but gives some idea how the castle may have looked when new.





The exterior has many carved panels featuring the arms of Henry VII, the Lynch Family and the FitzGeralds of Kildare, as well as other motifs.





There are many fine mullioned windows with hood moulds, some of which are decorated. Larger windows have been inserted at the ground floor level and some of the smaller windows at the upper levels have been blocked.



The building is four storeys high and below the parapet there is a row of gargoyles, a rare survival in Irish castles.