castles historical antrim

Of the three castles which one guarded the port, this was probably the one originally named Coraine. It is a four-storey tower, scarcely earlier than the 16th century, with gun-loops on the ground floor.

It is thought to have been built by the Bissets, and is located close to where Edward Bruce is believed to have landed in 1315....

Shanes Castle, the family seat of the O'Neills of Clanaboy, is magnificently situated at the North East corner of Lough Neagh with commanding views over the length and breadth of the Lough. Although the castle has been in ruins since the fire of 1816, the remaining structure including a unique Camellia House is a substantial feature in the landscape.

There has been a Feral herd of fallow deer at Shanes Castle for many years. Shanes Castle Demesne is one of the most beautiful and well...

It's entered by a gate-house, with corbelled turrets of Scottish type. To the right on entering are the pillars of a unique open loggia in the Italian style, which must have become redundant when the Great Hall was built up against it early in the 17th century. This two-storeyed hall, with fine (partially reconstructed) windows to the west, is a gracious building with finely moulded stones at parapet level which once supported the long-vanished roof. Beyond are kitchens and domestic quarters,...