Dunguaire Castle, one of Ireland's most iconic and photographed landmarks, has remained closed to visitors since 2023. While thousands of tourists continue to arrive at its gates each week, the castle remains inaccessible because responsibility for its future has become caught between the public bodies with the power to reopen it.
This is a problem that can be resolved with the necessary political will and public support. You can help make that happen in less than a minute and add your voice to the campaign to reopen Dunguaire Castle.
Scan the QR code with the camera setting on your phone or hit the button below
Video by Andreas Riemenschneider
W: doorusphoto.net
The Short story
Dunguaire Castle welcomed visitors for over fifty years. In 2023 the gates were locked while its owner, the Shannon Airport Group, moved to hand it over to Galway County Council. The Council is willing to take it on, but only with a funding commitment from central Government, and that commitment hasn’t come. Three years later the stand-off holds, and the castle is quietly falling into disrepair.
The visitors, however, have never stopped coming. Every week, hundreds of tourists arrive expecting to experience one of the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way, only to be met by locked gates and chains. They leave disappointed, wondering why one of Ireland's most iconic castles has been allowed to remain closed.
The ask
One email. The right people. Less than a minute.
By scanning the QR code or clicking the button below, you can send a ready-prepared email to the people and organisations with the ability to help resolve this issue, including Galway County Council, Government Ministers, Tourism Ireland and the Shannon Airport Group.
The email is respectful and constructive. It does not seek to apportion blame; it simply asks those involved to work together to secure the funding, complete the transfer process and reopen Dunguaire Castle to the public.
You are welcome to send the email exactly as it is, add your name, or personalise it with a few words of your own before clicking Send.
More than 2,432 people from 53 countries have already added their voices to the campaign. Please join them and help ensure that one of Ireland's most iconic castles can once again welcome visitors from around the world.
HOW TO HELP
1. Scan the code using the camera on your phone
2. An email opens, already written.
3. Add a line of your own if you like.
4. Send. 60 seconds job done.
(or just hit the button for all of the same)
Make an impact, show your support
Why it matters
A landmark, not just a building
Dunguaire Castle marks the entrance to Kinvara and the gateway to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. Its image is on the postcards, the calendars, the tourism campaigns. It’s one of the most recognisable stops on the Wild Atlantic Way.
A village that depends on it
For decades the castle brought visitors into Kinvara, supported local jobs, and hosted banquets, music and storytelling. Every locked season is footfall and income the village doesn’t get back. Coach operators are telling us already that many feel annoyed they’re being brought to a closed visitor attraction so they may consider stopping.
A cost that only grows
Every year Dunguaire Castle remains closed, the cost of restoring and reopening it increases. Weather, moisture and neglect continue to take their toll on one of Ireland's most important heritage landmarks, while the investment needed to bring it back into public use grows ever larger.
By acting now, we can help protect this iconic landmark, support the local economy, and ensure that future generations can once again experience Dunguaire Castle as it was intended: open, welcoming and at the heart of Kinvara's cultural heritage.