Carrickfergus Castle
Nestled on the northern shore of Belfast Lough in County Antrim, Carrickfergus Castle is the best preserved and most famous Anglo-Norman fortification in Ulster. For centuries, this was the centre of power for the English in the province. One of the most legendary strongholds in Irish history, Carrickfergus was the backdrop to some of the island’s most dramatic events. It played host to Anglo-Norman Lords, English Kings and Scottish royalty, witnessed French and American attacks, and for centuries manned the frontline in the struggle between the English and Irish for control of Ulster. No journey into the province’s medieval and early-modern past is complete without a stop at this truly historic site!
Carrickfergus Castle sits atop a rocky basalt promontory that juts into Belfast Lough. The majesty and imposing scale of the fortress we see today make it difficult to imagine a time before it existed, but archaeological excavations within the mighty walls of the castle revealed evidence that this spot has attracted people for millennia. Thousands of worked prehistoric flints have been recovered beneath the medieval levels, and a prehistoric stone platform was even uncovered beneath the Great Tower. Archaeologists believe that it was Mesolithic people who first began to use this promontory as a seasonal stone tool production site, a tradition that continued – and reached its height – during the Neolithic period.
But it was the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in Eastern Ulster (in the area of the modern counties of Antrim and Down) during the 1170s that transformed Carrickfergus into one of Ireland’s most consequential locations. Ideally positioned to control what is now Belfast Lough, they chose the promontory as their base. Over the centuries that followed it was Carrickfergus – not Belfast – that served as the primary centre of English control in Ulster. Even ‘Belfast Lough’ reflected this, it was known as ‘Carrickfergus Bay’ until the 17th century.
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Nestled on the northern shore of Belfast Lough in County Antrim, Carrickfergus Castle is the best preserved and most famous Anglo-Norman fortification in Ulster. For centuries, this was the centre of power for the English in the province. One of the most legendary strongholds in Irish history, Carrickfergus was the backdrop to some of the island’s most dramatic events. It played host to Anglo-Norman Lords, English Kings and Scottish royalty, witnessed French and American attacks, and for centuries manned the frontline in the struggle between the English and Irish for control of Ulster. No journey into the province’s medieval and early-modern past is complete without a stop at this truly historic site!
Carrickfergus Castle sits atop a rocky basalt promontory that juts into Belfast Lough. The majesty and imposing scale of the fortress we see today make it difficult to imagine a time before it existed, but archaeological excavations within the mighty walls of the castle revealed evidence that this spot has attracted people for millennia. Thousands of worked prehistoric flints have been recovered beneath the medieval levels, and a prehistoric stone platform was even uncovered beneath the Great Tower. Archaeologists believe that it was Mesolithic people who first began to use this promontory as a seasonal stone tool production site, a tradition that continued – and reached its height – during the Neolithic period.
But it was the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in Eastern Ulster (in the area of the modern counties of Antrim and Down) during the 1170s that transformed Carrickfergus into one of Ireland’s most consequential locations. Ideally positioned to control what is now Belfast Lough, they chose the promontory as their base. Over the centuries that followed it was Carrickfergus – not Belfast – that served as the primary centre of English control in Ulster. Even ‘Belfast Lough’ reflected this, it was known as ‘Carrickfergus Bay’ until the 17th century.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Carrickfergus Castle • Antrim
The Development and History of Carrickfergus Castle
The Gateway • Carrickfergus Castle
The fortress owes its origins to John de Courcy, an Anglo-Norman knight who arrived from England determined to carve out an Irish lordship for himself. In 1177 he set about his task, marching north from Dublin with just 22 men-at-arms and 300 soldiers in tow. Within a matter of weeks he had captured Downpatrick and defeated Ruaidrí Mac Duinnsléibe, the King of Ulster, in battle.
The enterprising de Courcy began work on Carrickfergus Castle the very same year. By the early 1180s he had secured his grip on this part of Ulster, but John’s strong independent streak and regular clashes with King John meant Carrickfergus would not stay in his family. His holdings in Ulster were confiscated in 1205 and granted to his former ally, Hugh de Lacy, who was appointed as the Earl of Ulster.
This Hugh de Lacy was the second son of the Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, who built Trim Castle. But like de Courcy, Hugh de Lacy also had a fractious relationship with the English Crown. This led to King John beseiging him at Carrickfergus in 1210 and expelling him from his lordship. Carrickfergus Castle spent the next few years under Royal Authority, and Hugh de Lacy even returned to (unsuccessfully) besiege his former home in 1224! But if anyone shows that there is always a way back, it was Hugh de Lacy. He was reconciled and restored to his Ulster holdings in 1227, and he retained Carrickfergus Castle until his death in 1242.
The surviving remains at Carrickfergus Castle allow you to step back in time to the era of John de Courcy and Hugh de Lacy, and to see how they developed the site.
The Gateway • Carrickfergus Castle
The Great Tower and Inner Ward
The Great Tower • Carrickfergus Castle
John de Courcy’s first castle is represented by the central keep, or ‘Great Tower’, the enormous stone keep that rises over 27 metres above the rocky outcrop. The Inner Ward that surrounds the Great Tower was once the outer wall of de Courcy’s castle, surrounded by a rock cut ditch. This was Carrickfergus’s footprint when King John besieged it in 1210. de Courcy’s chapel was located at the north end of the Inner Ward, and the area also would have held stables, kitchens and a blacksmith forge.
But it was The Great Tower that was the beating heart of early life in the castle. It was built to withstand siege, with walls up to 4 metres thick, a well in the cellar for water and a raised and protected entrance. At the top of the keep you will find the Great Hall, the great Lordly function room, where figures like John de Courcy and King John once conducted their business.
The Great Tower has recently been re-roofed to return it to the way it looked in the medieval period. The enormous undertaking, using traditional methods, was completed in 2020. The work required an enormous amount of Irish oak, which was sourced from trees that fell in Wicklow during Storm Ophelia in 2017. During the restoration new evidence for the earliest phases of the castle were revealed, such as a possible mason’s mark and evidence for the location of the castle’s 13th century timber-covered walkway. Tantalising traces of a blocked up passageway were even found in the south wall! You can read more about this amazing project, and see videos of the Restoration Project here.
The Great Tower • Carrickfergus Castle
The Middle and Outer Ward and Gateway
When Carrickfergus Castle was under direct control of the English Crown, between 1216 and 1223, the Great Tower was improved and the defences extended, further securing the castle from attack. A new outer wall was built and a postern gate to provide access to the water. A series of three defensive towers were added to the new wall, of which the East, or Sea Tower is the best surviving example. The area this enclosed is now called the Middle Ward, and was probably the footprint when Hugh de Lacy tried to wrest back control of his old home in 1224.
The final major additions to the castle’s footprint were made when Hugh de Lacy was back in control at Carrickfergus, and it is these that most define the site today. de Lacy filled in the original rock cut ditch and constructed the large Outer Ward, completely enclosing the promontory. He built two new projecting towers along the west wall, and started construction on the enormous gatehouse which still serves as the main entrance to Carrickfergus Castle. de Lacy flanked the gate with two large round towers, which were unique in Ireland at the time. Archaeologist Paul Duffy has argued that Hugh de Lacy got inspiration for his design during his time away from Ulster, when he was serving in French military campaigns in Languedoc.
Although the castle defences were consistently being modified and improved in the centuries that followed, Carrickfergus had taken on the impressive form we recognise today by around 1250. It wasn’t long before they would face one of their most severe tests. That came in 1315, when Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert the Bruce, arrived from Scotland to try and become King of Ireland. In September 1315 he laid siege to Carrickfergus with his army, but the fortress proved a tough nut to crack. For a year the Bruce’s men sat beyond the walls, reducing the garrison to near starvation – it was even said they ate some of their Scottish prisoners! Carrickfergus eventually surrendered, but the length of the siege put a major dent in Edward’s hopes for a quick campaign. The Scottish royal used Carrickfergus Castle as a base until his Irish adventure finally ended with his death at the Battle of Faughart in 1318 (for more on this, see the excellent Bruce Invasion Tuatha Talk by Fin Dwyer, available for members here).
A statue of a crossbowman • Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle on the Frontline
As Edward Bruce discovered, Carrickfergus posed a major challenge to any would-be besiegers. Over the centuries it rarely fell under the control of enemies of the Crown, but the castle’s geographical position guaranteed that conflict was never far from its doorstep. Throughout the medieval period, Gaelic lordships maintained control of much of the territory around Carrickfergus; the O’Neills of Tyrone and MacDonnells of the Glens proving particularly powerful adversaries. You can find out a bit more about them by checking out our articles on the O’Neill inauguration site at Tullaghoge here, and on Dunluce and Dunseverick Castles in Antrim, both connected with the MacDonnells. At a number of points in its long history, conflict between the English at Carrickfergus and these Gaelic lordships became so intense that the castle became akin to an isolated outpost, surrounded on almost all sides by enemies.
The outer walls • Carrickfergus Castle
The bloodiest period of all arrived in the late 16th century, during the Nine Years War (1594-1603) fought between the forces of Elizabeth I and Gaelic lordships. Ulster was the primary stronghold of the Gaelic Irish, and as a result Carrickfergus was consistently threatened and raided. The war ultimately resulted in the complete English conquest of Ireland, and set the scene for the Plantation of Ulster. But that outcome had been far from a foregone conclusion, and Carrickfergus faced some dark days during the fighting.
The most infamous event occurred in 1597, when the castle’s Governor Sir John Chichester fought an engagement with James MacSorley MacDonnell’s men outside Carrickfergus. Chichester was shot and later decapitated. It was even alleged that the MacDonnells played football with his head! Carrickfergus survived, and served as a launchpad from which English forces ruthlessly prosecuted the war against Ulster’s Gaelic Irish interior.
Sir John Chichester’s brother, Arthur, who was perhaps understandably incensed at the manner of his sibling’s death, played a leading role in those campaigns. Sir Arthur Chichester was appointed Governor of Carrickfergus in 1599, and he and his forces played a key role in securing the victory that laid the foundations for the transformation of Ulster. He eventually rose to become Lord Deputy of Ireland, and would retain a connection to Carrickfergus for the remainder of his life.
The town of Carrickfergus quickly began to emerge in the shadow of the great castle. The long threat posed by the nearby powerful Gaelic Irish Lords made defence of the town a priority. More than half of the latest wall circuit, built by Sir Arthur Chichester between 1608 and 1615, survives, some of it still standing 4m high with its wall walk. You can explore the best-preserved stretch of the town wall at Joymount and Shaftesbury Park, and visit the North Gate, which still retains much of its 17th century character, though it was modified for pedestrians in the 1840s and the accession of George V in 1911.
Kings and Conflict
Even after the Nine Year’s War and the Plantation of Ulster that followed Carrickfergus Castle remained one of the most important military bases in Ireland. In 1642 the Scots Convenanter Army chose Carrickfergus as their landing place when they arrived to protect settlers from the Irish following the outbreak of the 1641 Rebellion. Their forces set up their base here and established Ireland’s first Presbytery in the town the same year. In 1689 Carrickfergus was again besieged during the War of the Two Kings, when it fell to Williamite forces uner Marshal Schomberg. Afterwards it was the setting for one of the most important events in Irish history, when King William III landed at Carrickfergus on 14 June 1690 to begin his personal leadership of the war against King James II and his Jacobites in Ireland. William left from Carrickfergus to advance towards his date with destiny on the Battlefield of the Boyne on 1 July 1690.
A lifesize statue of King William III
The Later History of Carrickfergus Castle
During its final centuries as a military stronghold, Carrickfergus Castle increasingly looked towards the water both for the threats it faced and for its primary defensive role. The fortress fell to enemy forces for the last time in February 1760, during the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France. The victor on that occasion was French naval commander Captain François Thurot – himself the grandson of an Irish emigrant – who had been leading vessels against British shipping off the Irish and Scottish coasts. He landed barely 1,000 men at Carrickfergus and took the castle and town, leaving a few days later after he had stripped the area of supplies.
Later that century, Carrickfergus even became the focus of an action of the American War of Independence! That occured when HMS Drake, which was anchored off the castle, became the target of famed seaman John Paul Jones, the ‘Father of the American Navy’. In 1778 Jones took his Continental ship Ranger into action against the Drake off Carrickfergus, capturing her in what became known as the North Channel Naval Duel – one of the few major American naval victories of the Revolution.
A cannon guards the seaward approach
Carrickfergus Castle remained in use as an infantry barracks until the 1830s, but after that its primary focus became the protection of Belfast Lough and Belfast itself. In 1855 the Antrim Artillery moved in, armed with powerful guns that could propel shells over 3km. Some of the platforms, batteries and infrastructure added to the Castle and surrounds to facilitate this coastal defence are still visible today. In 1889 a tunnel and light railway was even built through the solid rock of the promontory to connect the Castle’s Inner Ward to the water. This was part of an elaborate electric submarine mine system designed to protect the Lough from enemy warships, a defensive network that was controlled from the castle.
Carrickfergus Castle remained an important military base until 1928, when it was declared a historic monument and passed into state care. Even then its defensive role was not finished. During the Second World War the castle’s vaults served as an air raid shelter. The ending of that conflict finally brought to a close a military story spanning almost eight centuries, a historic legacy that continues to draw visitors from far and wide today.
A cannon guards the seaward approach
Upper left: a feast fit for a king • Lower left: inside the Great Hall • Right: defending the walls
Top: a feast fit for a king • Middle: defending the walls • Bottom: inside the Great Hall
Carrickfergus Castle Visitor Information
The best preserved and most famous Anglo-Norman fortification in Ulster