Southern Co. Antrim
 Castles |
The seaside town of Carrickfergus is located on the northern shores of Belfast Lough and is dominated by its imposing fortress. Carrickfergus Castle is a formidable looking stronghold with a long history being one of the earliest and largest of all Irish forts. Built around 1180 on a rocky promontory above the harbour, its architect was the principal Anglo-Norman invader John de Courcy; the robust style of its construction reflects the defensive history of the entire region. A famous siege by Robert and Edward Bruce in 1315 was resisted for longer than it could otherwise have been, thanks to the aid of eight Scots prisoners who provided sorely needed nourishment when cut from the spit. The Bruces' very quickly lost control of the castle, when it was retaken by the English who held sway there for most of the next three centuries. The castle fell into the hands of the French for a very brief period in 1778, but was again recaptured quickly. Interestingly, the American privateer John Paul Jones defeated the British frigate HMS Drake in the waters of the Lough - this was America's first naval victory anywhere.
Now fully restored, Carrickfergus Castle reveals more secrets when a trip is taken on the Knight Ride, a monorail journey through Carrickfergus history from AD581, when noble Fergus was shipwrecked on a rock ( carrick in Gaelic).
Carrickfergus Gasworks provides some industrial history, perhaps a welcome relief for anyone suffering from castle fatigue. It is the only complete Victorian coal-fired gasworks in Ireland, built in 1855 to light street lamps. The parents of the 7 th US President, Andrew Jackson (1829-37), emigrated from Carrickfergus in 1765. The Andrew Jackson Centre, tracing the family history, is located in a reconstructed 18 th century thatched cottage very close to their original home. Jonathan Swift provides a literary association with Carrickfergus, having been prebendary of a local church where between 1694-6 he wrote the ‘Tale of a Tub'. The poet Louis MacNiece, 1907-63, also spent his childhood in Carrickfergus, his father being the rector of St Nicholas' Church in the Market Place. The church was originally built in 1205 by John de Courcy but was almost entirely rebuilt during the Elizabethan period, about 1614; the church still incorporates an original leper's window.
South of Carrickfergus, the country park of Cave Hill rises-up to the north of Belfast providing a high backdrop of mountains, and covering some 750-acres of parkland escarpments and dense woodland. The park is dotted with Bronze Age sites, including the caves themselves, which are man-made Iron Age mine works. An invigorating walk to the high point of the park, a prominent rock known as MacArt's Fort, provides wonderfully panoramic views across Belfast, its Lough and beyond to the Scottish coast. Set within the grounds of Cave Hill is Belfast Castle, a Scottish baronial structure built in 1870 for the Marquis of Donegall after the style of Balmoral. The castle was given to the city in 1934.
Situated to the east of Belfast is stately Stormont, the site of Northern Ireland's parliament; a shining white neo-classical building impressively laid-out at the end of a mile-long driveway. Appropriately enough, standing in front of this stately pile, is the statue of a statesman, Edward Carson, 1854-1935, a unionist leader who brought Ulster perilously close to civil war by threatening military action to deny Irish independence. Stormont, which became shorthand for parliament itself, was dissolved in 1972, and was only re-established with the Good Friday Agreement in 1999; this occurred when a coalition government was formed in Northern Ireland and direct rule from London ended. This arrangement, however, lapsed of late.
Justly praised as one of Ireland's best museums, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is also located some way east of the capital; here dozens of buildings have been transplanted to form a vibrant recreation of life in Ulster around 1900. Both entertaining and educational a visit to the outdoor Folk Park is highly recommended. The Transport Museum presents examples of an enormous range of different types of transport. However, the real crowd-puller is the elaborate Titanic exhibition - most especially because the ill-fated ship was a local product, having been built in the Belfast dockyards.
Lying southwest of Belfast at the southern-most part of Co. Antrim is Lisburn, where the main attraction on offer is the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum. The Centre details the history and heritage of what was once Ulster's greatest industry, in fact, Ireland's only major industry in the 19 th century. Weaving workshops have been recreated, bringing the ancient craft to life for modern-day visitors.