Of all the amazing castles littered throughout Ireland, I couldn’t have been happier to stumble upon this one. Balleycarbery Castle, covered in ivy and moss, was built in the 15th century and once owned by the McCarthy Clan. My husband and I were driving counterclockwise on the Ring of Kerry and decided to take a little detour following random signs. We weren’t too motivated given our over-crowded Blarney Castle experience, one of the most popular stops in the area. We decided to go for it anyway. Small, quaint, and almost completely isolated which definitely added to the whole experience. One of the many reasons why going off the beaten path has its rewards. The castle is beautifully covered in green moss, you are free to walk through the corridors and stairways peeping out its arched windows imagining what it may have been back in its glory. By Cydny Voicechovski from Goal Traveler -