Rockfleet Castle, or Carraigahowley Castle (Irish: Carraig an Chabhlaigh), is a tower house near Newport in County Mayo, Ireland. It was built in the mid sixteenth century, and is most famously associated with Gráinne O'Malley, the pirate queen and chieftain of the clan O’Malley[1][2].
Rockfleet Castle has four floors and is over eighteen metres in height. It can be open to the public year round. If the huge doorhandle on the heavy wooden door cannot be opened, the key can be borrowed and returned to the nearby farm. The tower house castle is built in the sea and at high tide the water makes it very difficult to get into or out of the door without getting wet. Some years ago (50's?) the castle was restored by its American owner who used traditional building methods and materials throughout to restore the castle back near to its original condition as it would have been in the 16th century. The genuine restoration has made a visit to the Castle something not to be missed - this is a local gem. There is no charge to visit and every nook and cranny can be explored including the spooky crow's nests in the secret passages within the walls. There is a wonderful and most unusual ladder from the ground floor to access the 1st floor from where the visitor must use the precariously narrow and steep stone spiral stairwells as found in most castles to get to all the other floors which are floored with oak beams. The door to the very top storey is padlocked for reasons of safety.
Boats for fishing trips and for Clare Island depart from the nearby pier.
Note: The second picture on this page is not in fact Rockfleet castle, but another of Gráinne O'Malley's castles, Carrickildownet Castle (Irish: Carraig Chilldamhnait or Caisleán Charraig Chilldamhnait, also called Caisleán Ghráinne - Gráinne's Castle) - it is on the Atlantic Drive on Achill Island, east of Cloughmore.