A striking Plantation castle known as Spur Royal Castle — named for the unusual star, or spur, shape said to run through its old keep — set among trees beside a small lake at Augher, in Co. Tyrone's Clogher Valley.
What it is — a restored castellated country house, thought to date back to the Plantation of Ulster around 1610–1620, with a keep whose curious star-shaped, spur-cornered plan is said to have given it the name Spur Royal. It sits in wooded grounds on the shore of Augher Lough, a lovely landmark in the Clogher Valley.
How to see it — you can admire the castle from a distance — glimpsed among the trees from the lough shore and the roads around Augher village. It makes a handsome sight on a Clogher Valley drive or walk.
Where — just outside the small village of Augher, Co. Tyrone, in the Clogher Valley, roughly midway between Clogher and Ballygawley off the A4.
Combine it with — a wander round Augher village, a stroll near the lough, and the wider Clogher Valley — the neighbouring villages of Clogher and Fivemiletown, and the walks and viewpoints around them.
It's a private residence — no public access. Augher Castle is restored and lived in as a family home. There's no visitor centre, no tours, and no admission to the castle or its grounds — please don't enter the gates or grounds.
Admire it from a distance, and make a day of the area. Enjoy the view from the village and lough shore, respect the private boundary, and pair it with nearby walks and the Clogher Valley villages for a proper outing.
Plan your visit
Can I visit? Only from a distance.
Augher Castle is a private residence — restored and lived in — so there's no way inside and no public access to the castle or its grounds. There's no visitor centre, no car park and no tours. What you can do is enjoy it as a landmark: it's often glimpsed among the trees beside Augher Lough and from the roads around the village, and it makes a fine sight on a Clogher Valley drive or walk. Please admire it from public ground only and respect the boundary — don't enter the gates or grounds.
Private — no entryAdmire from a distanceBeside Augher LoughNear Augher village
Please note:
This is a lived-in private home, not a visitor attraction. Enjoy the view from the village and the lough shore, but don't enter the gates, the drive or the grounds. Treat it as a landmark to admire rather than a place to walk into.
Make a day of it
What to pair it with
🏰A look at the castleCatch it from the lough shore and the roads around Augher — a handsome sight among the trees.
🚶A wander round AugherA small, friendly Clogher Valley village to stretch the legs and grab a bite.
🌳The Clogher ValleyNearby Clogher and Fivemiletown, with walks, viewpoints and country roads to explore.
📷A cameraThe castle among the trees by the water is a lovely one to photograph from the public roadside.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Access
A private residence — there's no public access to the castle or its grounds, no tours and no visitor centre. It's a landmark to admire from a distance only.
What it is
Spur Royal Castle, a restored castellated country house said to date to the Plantation of Ulster around 1610–1620, named for the unusual star, or spur, shape thought to run through its keep.
Setting
In wooded grounds on the shore of Augher Lough, on the edge of Augher village in Co. Tyrone's Clogher Valley.
Best view
Glimpsed among the trees from the lough shore and the roads around Augher village. Please admire it from public ground only.
Nearby
Augher village, the Clogher Valley, and the neighbouring villages of Clogher and Fivemiletown, all with their own walks and viewpoints.
Cost
Nothing to pay — but nothing to buy either, as there's no admission and no facilities. It's simply a landmark to look at.
Location
Augher, County Tyrone, in the Clogher Valley, roughly midway between Clogher and Ballygawley off the A4.
Questions
Before you go
Can you go inside Augher Castle?
No. Augher Castle, or Spur Royal Castle, is a private residence — restored and lived in as a family home. There's no public access to the castle or its grounds, no tours and no visitor centre. It's a landmark to admire from a distance rather than a place to visit.
So how do I see it?
You can enjoy the view from public ground — it's often glimpsed among the trees from the shore of Augher Lough and the roads around Augher village. Please stay on public ground and don't enter the gates, the drive or the grounds.
Why is it called Spur Royal?
The name is said to come from the unusual star, or spur, shape thought to run through its keep — a distinctive spur-cornered plan for a Plantation-era castle. It's often listed under both names, Augher Castle and Spur Royal Castle.
How old is it?
It's thought to date to the Plantation of Ulster, around 1610–1620, though it was later damaged, then restored and extended in the 1800s. The exact dates and details vary between sources, so treat them as "said to be" rather than certain.
Is there anything to do there?
Not at the castle itself, since it's private. But it makes a lovely landmark to fold into a Clogher Valley outing — pair the view with a wander round Augher village, a stroll near the lough, and the walks and viewpoints of the wider valley.
Where exactly is it?
Just outside Augher village in County Tyrone, in the Clogher Valley, roughly midway between Clogher and Ballygawley off the A4.
Getting there
Augher, County Tyrone, in the Clogher Valley — off the A4, roughly midway between Clogher and Ballygawley. The castle sits in private wooded grounds beside Augher Lough on the edge of the village; admire it from the public roads and lough shore.
Augher Castle belongs to one of the great changes in Ulster's history. In the years after 1610, as the Plantation of Ulster parcelled out land to new settlers, an estate here at Augher is said to have passed to Sir Thomas Ridgeway, who is thought to have raised a fortified house on the site around 1615. What made it unusual was the keep: a compact tower said to be built to a star, or spur, plan, with pointed corners projecting from its sides. That curious shape is generally held to be where the name Spur Royal comes from.
Like many Plantation castles it had a turbulent life. It's recorded as having been defended during the rising of 1641 and later burned in the Williamite wars at the end of that century, before being restored. In the 1800s a new owner is said to have rebuilt and extended it into the castellated country house you see today, wrapping the old star keep in Gothic wings and battlements. Down the generations it settled into what it remains now — a private family home, quietly at home among its trees on the edge of the lough.
That's why Days Out NI lists it as a landmark to admire rather than a place to visit. There are no tours and no open gates. But standing by Augher Lough on a bright afternoon, with the towers rising over the water and the Clogher Valley hills behind, you can still catch the whole four-hundred-year story of the place in a single glance — which is a fine reason to slow the car and take it in.