Overview
Rinville Park is a coastal estate of woodland, open farmland and shoreline on Galway Bay, south of Oranmore. A good walk is the one out towards Rinville Point. From there and the neighbouring Saleen Point you get views across Galway Bay and, on a clear day, the grey line of the Burren in County Clare. That view is the reason to come; the ruins and the family bits are what fill the rest of the visit.
Don’t confuse it with Renvyle out in Connemara – different place, similar-sounding name, an hour and a half apart.
Two sets of ruins sit at the heart of the park: the four-storey shell of a 16th-century tower house and the burnt-out remains of a Georgian hall. Between and around them runs a gentle route through the trees.
A tale of two ruins
The older structure is Rinville Castle, a four-storey tower house built in the 1500s by Richard McThomas Oge of the Burke (De Burgo) family. It held through the Elizabethan wars, most notably surviving an attempted siege by Sir Edward Fitton in 1574. The estate later passed to the Lynch family, one of Galway’s Tribes, who married into the Athy line.
The Lynch-Athys wanted something more comfortable, and built Rinville Hall early in the 1820s: a three-bay, two-storey front with a recessed central bay, a Wyatt-style window and a classical portico. In those same 1820s Lord and Lady Wallscourt lived here while their own seat at Ardfry Castle was being restored. The house was a social hub, but the family’s fortunes turned, and a fire in 1976 destroyed the late Georgian hall, leaving the footings and standing columns that remain today.
Galway County Council restored the castle in 1979 and has owned the wider park since 1986. The tower house exterior has been reinforced so you can look over its square staircase turret, twin chimneys and vaulted walls, and the hall is left as an open archaeological footprint. View both structures from the paths and follow any access signs.
Trails and views
Galway County Council lists woodland trails, a Slí na Sláinte walking route, an outdoor gym and a playground within the old garden walls. Paths run out towards Rinville Point and Saleen Point for the bay views. Check the slope and surface before choosing a route, especially if you are heading towards the shore, and keep back from the edge.
The mix of habitats keeps the wildlife interesting: grey herons in the drainage ditches and pools, otters along the sheltered shore, ravens and kestrels over the mature oak and birch, and bluebells carpeting the ground in spring.
For families the playground within the old garden walls is the draw, along with the outdoor gym.
Practical information
- Opening and entry: open year-round, and Visit Galway lists free admission and parking. Use designated park parking.
- Getting there: Rinville Park is south of Oranmore. If you are travelling without a car, plan the leg from Oranmore separately and check current bus connections before you go.
- Accessibility: surfaces and gradients vary, so check the path you plan to take. The side paths towards the shore can cross uneven ground with drops near the water, so take care.
- Dogs: follow posted dog rules.
- Facilities: check the council and Visit Galway pages for current facilities before you travel.
Nearby
If you want more, Barna has woodland trails and a village that’s quieter than the coast, and Aughnanure Castle near Oughterard is a 16th-century tower house with its roof and interior chambers intact, unlike Rinville’s open shell.
Both points are exposed, so bring a layer even in July; the bay wind will find you long before the view gets old.