LAST UPDATED: 5/9/23 – Cahir Castle Visitor Guide
One of the largest castles in Ireland, the Cahir Castle is also one of the prettiest. The castle was built starting in 1142 and is still in very good condition to this day. The castle was built along the river Suir to assist in its natural defenses. Today, the river adds to the allure of the castle and makes it one of the most photogenic castles I have visited.

One of the things we loved the most about this castle is the lack of crowds. It isn’t as notorious with tourists as some of Ireland’s other castles (the Rock of Cashel is just 30 minutes away), so you rarely have to battle large crowds to get access to parts of the castle or have to wait for people to clear to get good pictures.
Because of the lack of crowds, you are also able to access nearly every part of the Cahir Castle, which wasn’t allowed at most of the other castles we visited. This was really neat as it allowed us to get a true sense of what it would have been like to call the castle home. It also allowed me to get some really great pictures that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.
How to Get to the Cahir Castle
Cahir Castle is located in Southern Ireland, on the outskirts of the small town of Cahir. The castle is about an hour drive from the cities of Limerick, Waterford, and Cork, and is conveniently on the route from Cork to Dublin if you are traveling between these two cities on your trip.
Coming from Cork
- Get on M8 in Cork from N8 (7.4 km)
- Follow M8 to R639 in South Tipperary. Take exit 11 from M8 (64.7 km)
- Continue on R639. Drive to Bridge St/R640
Coming from Limerick
- Take R527 and Ballysimon Rd to Tipperary Rd/N24 in Limerick (6.4 km)
- Follow N24 to R640 in South Tipperary (54.1 km)
- Drive to Bridge St/R640
Coming from Waterford
- Take R861, Bridge St and R448 to N9 in Kilkenny (4.7 km)
- Follow N24 to R640 in South Tipperary (56.6 km)
- Drive to R640
The Town of Cahir

Although the Cahir Castle is the city’s biggest tourism draw, it is far from the only thing to see and do in the city and the rest of the county. Other fun things to see include the Swiss Cottage, the Mitchelstown Cave, the Vee (a scenic mountain drive), and many other amazing sites.
Visiting the Castle

If you would like to get up-close-and-personal with the castle, there are tours available daily. With modest tour prices and a lack of large crowds, taking a tour of the Cahir Castle is as great of a deal as you will find when touring Ireland. For more information on tour availability and cost, make sure you visit the Cahir Castle website.cahir castle cost
Castle Map
For those who are curious as to how big the castle is and how it is laid out, I have included a rough map in my Cahir Castle visitor guide below that details the layout of the castle.

Cahir Castle Tour Gallery
No visit is complete without a tour of the inside of the castle and its defenses. Below is a small gallery of just some of what you can expect when you tour the castle.









Cahir Castle Photo Gallery
The Cahir Castle is an impressive place to visit. This castle doesn’t get enough credit for how beautiful and impressive it is. Below is a gallery of just some of the many pictures I was able to capture at Cahir Castle.

























Great info and amazing photos.
Thank you so much!
That Castle is amazing. You have definitely added to my “bucket list”. Fantastic photos too. Thanks.
Thank you so much Tim!
You are very welcome. The Cahir Castle is certainly amazing! Thank you again for sharing with us.