Listowel Castle, Medieval castle in Listowel, Ireland

Listowel Castle is a medieval stone castle in County Kerry, on the west coast of Ireland, with two square towers still standing and connected by a thick defensive wall. Below the battlements of that wall there is a visible arch, an unusual detail that sets the structure apart from other ruins of its kind.

Listowel Castle was built in the 15th century and became the last Geraldine fortress to be subdued in the First Desmond Rebellion. After a 28-day siege it fell to Sir Charles Wilmot on 5 November 1568, and he had the garrison executed in the following days. The property later passed from the Fitzmaurices, Knights of Kerry, to the Hare family, Earls of Listowel.

The castle's name comes from the Irish Lios Tuathail, meaning "fort of Tuathal", after a local chieftain. The Seanchaí Literary Centre next door, housed in a Georgian town house, holds displays on the castle's history, linking the ruin to Listowel's later literary tradition.

The castle stands off the town square, not on it, so approach from the Square along the signposted path to the ruin. Access to the upper storeys is by an external staircase added during the 2005 restoration by the Office of Public Works, not by original internal steps. The Seanchaí Literary Centre in the adjoining Georgian town house holds displays on the castle's history.

After a 28-day siege, Sir Charles Wilmot took the castle on 5 November 1568 and had the garrison executed in the following days. The castle was the last Geraldine fortress to be subdued in the First Desmond Rebellion. Archaeological digs and records show it was originally built to a form similar to Bunratty Castle, County Clare.