Newtown Castle, Tower house in Ballyvaughan, Ireland.

Newtown Castle is a tower house with a cylindrical stone structure rising above a square base over four stories. The walls measure roughly 12 feet (3.6 meters) thick at ground level and taper as they rise upward.

The castle was built around 1550 for the O'Brien clan as a defensive stronghold in the region. The O'Lochlainn family later took control and held it until the late 19th century.

The castle now functions as part of the Burren College of Art, hosting graduate ceremonies on the top floor annually. It bridges its historical past with contemporary academic use.

The castle stands on the Burren Way long-distance trail, southwest of Ballyvaughan, and is used by the Burren College of Art as a venue for weddings and conferences. The ground floor and first floor have vaulted ceilings, and a second-floor doorway may once have linked to a building that has since vanished.

The second floor, now called the Scriptorium, holds a limited-edition facsimile of the Book of Kells and copies from Egerton 88, a 16th-century compilation of old Irish law by the O'Davorens. A doorway there once let occupants leave the tower by a 10-metre ladder or rope.