One of the Dingle Peninsula's few surviving castles, Gallarus Castle was built by the FitzGeralds around the 15th century. Guided tours can be arranged by phoning in advance. There's no parking next to the castle.
The dry-stone Gallarus Oratory is quite a sight, standing in its lonely spot beneath the brown hills as it has done for some 1200 years. It has withstood the elements perfectly, apart from a slight sagging in the roof. Traces of mortar suggest that the interior and exterior walls may have been plastered. Shaped like an upturned boat, it has a doorway on the western side and a round-headed window on the eastern side. Inside the doorway are two projecting stones with holes that once supported the door.
Parking by the oratory is extremely limited and tends to become a mess in summer. There is a nearby private parking area at the visitor centre that shows a 15-minute audio-visual display.
The castle and oratory are signposted off the R559, about 2km further on from the Riasc Monastic Settlement turn-off.
