Newtown Castle, located near Ballyvaughan in the Burren region of County Clare, is a remarkably distinctive 16th-century tower house built circa 1550 for the O'Brien clan. Uniquely among Ireland's approximately 3,000 tower houses, Newtown Castle features a cylindrical design above a square pyramidal base, making it one of only 30 round tower houses in the country. Originally held by the O'Brien family, it passed to the O'Loghlen clan in the mid-1600s, with Peter O'Loghlen famously known as the Prince of the Burren. Restored in 1994, the castle now serves as part of the Burren College of Art, an independent Irish art school offering accredited undergraduate and graduate programs.
