Why is there more castles in Ireland than Scotland?
Due to Ireland being a place that was constantly war torn for centuries castles were constantly built, destroyed and then rebuilt. Ireland is also slightly less mountainous than Scotland so there was more land suitable for castle building.
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For most of the Middle Ages, Scotland has been at war as Clans, Nobles and Lords battled against each other or revolted against state authority. For this reason, they needed a defensive structure (i.e., a castle) where they could hold onto power and defend themselves and their communities from attacks.
Scotland has been home to more castles than anywhere else in the UK, with there being around 1,800 castles that have previously, or still do stand today.
French Renaissance also kept the steep roofs of medieval castles as can be seen for example at Azay-le-Rideau (1518), and the original Scottish baronial style might have been influenced by French masons brought to Scotland to work on royal palaces.
Ireland is known for its castles. The Normans built most of the castles in Ireland between the 11th and 15th century. Some of the castles are still in tact and found new purpose such as Smarmore Castle. There are tens of thousands of castles spread over Ireland, most of them are ruins, but still worth a visit.
This is a little known fact; Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe. Wales' history has left a landscape scattered with Iron Age hill forts, Roman ruins and castles from Medieval Welsh princes and English kings.
Wales is sometimes called the castle capital of the world because of the large number of castles in a relatively small area. Wales had about 600 castles, of which over 100 are still standing, either as ruins or as restored buildings.
Apparently, the oldest castle still standing in Scotland that can be dated is Castle Sween. It was built in the 1100s along the eastern shore of Loch Sween, in Knapdale, Argyll. The oldest continuously inhabited castle in the country though is Dunvegan Castle, the ancestral home of Clan MacLeod for over 800 years.
Hermit's Castle is the smallest castle in Europe. In fact it may be the smallest castle in the world. Measuring less than 10m squared in area, the castle was built in the 1950s.