Knockma Castle Hacket Walk
2.6 miles (4.2 km)This circular loop walk explores the Knockma Nature Reserve and visits the ancient Castle Hacket in County Galway.
The walk starts from the parking area next to Castle Hacket, at the base of Knockma Hill. From here follow the footpaths south to reach the remains of the 13th-century tower house.
You then continue south to explore the woodland of Knockma Hill.... There's also some fine viewpoints with views over the countryside of County Galway and County Roscommon.
To continue your walking in the area you could pick up the Lough O Flynn Walk or the Cloonfad Forest Walk.
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (Mobile GPS)
Interactive Map
Nearby Routes
Photos
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1953857.jpg)
Castles of Connacht: Castle Hacket. Castle Hackett consists of two historic structures situated at the foot of Knockma Hill near Tuam in County Galway. The original site features a ruined thirteenth-century tower house built by the Hackett family and later inhabited by the Kirwans, one of the Tribes of Galway. This medieval fortress eventually fell into disrepair after the family moved into the nearby Castlehacket House, a large eighteenth-century manor. That residence was famously burned during the Irish Civil War in 1923 but was later reconstructed and remains an active estate today. The area is deeply connected to Irish folklore, as local legend identifies the adjacent Knockma Hill as the kingdom of Finvarra, the King of the Fairies.
View from Knockma, Belclare, Co. Galway. It is said in legend to be the residence of Finnbheara, the king of the Connacht fairies. Of four large cairns on the hill, one was thought to be the burial-place of Finnbheara and the other of Queen Medb, whose name may be transformed in the name Cnoc Meadha. Knockma Hill is topped with prehistoric cairns.