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Daly Castle today

Ireland · Ruin

Daly Castle

Daly Castle (Castledaly), historically called Corbally, is a castle ruin in County Galway, Ireland. The surviving façade incorporates an older tower house and dates from alterations made in the 19th century when the Daly family remodelled the building.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1850

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1850

What Daly Castle looked like in its prime.

A broad grey-stone façade composed of two square, battlemented towers joined by a pierced central wall with large round-arched openings; corbelled machicolation-like courses under the parapets. The stone is weathered limestone, much of the vertical faces once covered in climbing ivy. The façade sits at the edge of a grassy demesne with mature trees; at its prime the towers and connecting wall were complete and roofed behind the crenellations.

Its story

The story of Daly Castle.

The castle in the townland of Castledaly, County Galway, was known for centuries as Corbally. From the late 16th century it belonged to the Blake family, one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway, the merchant families dominant in Galway from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

In 1829 the castle was acquired by Peter Daly, with profits made from sugar plantations in Jamaica, and renamed Castledaly. The Dalys remodelled the building in the 19th century, and from 1894 it became a seat of James Daly; memorial tablets of the family and the Daly mausoleum stand near the church.

Today only the façade remains, the rest in ruins. The site's chief archaeological significance lies in the older tower house incorporated into the structure.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1850.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Daly Castle, including 2 interiors: left tower window into a chamber, right tower window into an interior room. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Forecourt view of the façadeThrough the central archway to the landscapeLeft tower window into a chamberRight tower window into an interior roomParapet and battlement walkClose-up of incorporated tower-house masonryView across the demesne toward St. Theresa's church

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Whose castle

Clans who held Daly Castle.

The families that held Daly Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Blake

    Held by the Blake family, one of the Tribes of Galway, from the late 16th century, when it was called Corbally.

  • Daly

    Acquired by Peter Daly in 1829 and renamed Castledaly; a Daly seat from 1894.

Questions about Daly Castle

What is the history of Daly Castle?

Daly Castle was known as Corbally from the late 16th century, when it belonged to the Blake family. Peter Daly acquired it in 1829 using profits from sugar plantations in Jamaica, renamed it Castledaly and remodelled the building. From 1894 it became a seat of James Daly; today, only the façade remains and the rest is in ruins.

What is inside Daly Castle?

Inside Daly Castle, the left tower has a window looking into a chamber, while the right tower has a window looking into an interior room. The surviving structure is chiefly the façade, and the archaeological significance of the ruins comes primarily from the older tower house incorporated into it.

Where is Daly Castle?

Daly Castle is in the townland of Castledaly, County Galway. Castledaly is the nearest named settlement in the supplied material, and it is also the administrative territorial entity in which the castle is located.

Which family or clan held Daly Castle?

The Blake family held Daly Castle from the late 16th century, when it was called Corbally. Peter Daly acquired it in 1829 and renamed it Castledaly. It became a Daly seat from 1894.

What did Daly Castle look like in its prime?

At its prime, Daly Castle had a broad grey-stone façade of two square, battlemented towers joined by a pierced central wall with large round-arched openings. Corbelled machicolation-like courses ran beneath the parapets. The weathered limestone façade stood at the edge of a grassy demesne with mature trees, with the towers and connecting wall complete and roofed behind the crenellations.

Is Daly Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Daly Castle is a ruin: only its façade remains, while the rest of the building is in ruins. The surviving façade incorporates an older tower house and dates from alterations made in the 19th century, when the Daly family remodelled the building.
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