Gallarus Castle is a four-story rectangular tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

 in Baile na nGall

Baile na nGall

Baile na nGall is a Gaeltacht village in the Ard na Caithne region of the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland. As the 2003 Official Languages Act revoked the status of the English language name "Ballydavid", this community's only official name is "Baile na nGall".The village is home to...

, County Kerry, Ireland and is notable as one of the few fortified structures preserved on the Dingle Peninsula

Dingle Peninsula

The Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of the major peninsulae in County Kerry. Its ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of Ireland.-Name:...

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Gallarus Castle was built in the 15th century by the Knight of Kerry

Knight of Kerry

Knight of Kerry, also called the Green Knight, is one of three Anglo-Irish hereditary knighthoods, all of which existed in Ireland since feudal times. The others are the White Knight and the Knight of Glin...

, the holder of a hereditary knighthood belonging to the Geraldine Dynasty

FitzGerald

The surname FitzGerald is a translation of the French-Norman fils de Gérald, or son of Gerald . Variant spellings include Fitz-Gerald and the modern Fitzgerald. The name can also be used as two separate words Fitz Gerald...

. It is now an Irish heritage site

Heritage sites (Republic of Ireland)

The Office of Public Works , together with the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are responsible for the heritage sites of Ireland...

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The building has been extensively restored and a new rectangular doorway inserted in the north wall. There is no evidence of a stone stairway below the second floor. A mural stairway rises in the east wall and the ceilings on the third and fourth floor are vaulted

Vault (architecture)

A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...

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Gallarus Castle stands about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) away from the better known and more historically significant Gallarus Oratory

Gallarus Oratory

The Gallarus Oratory is believed to be an early Christian church located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland...

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