Location: Portrush
87 DUNLUCE ROAD, PORTRUSH
TEL: 028 2073 1938 / FAX: 028 2073 2850
EMAIL: Dunluce.Castle@doeni.gov.uk
Located on the Coast Road towards Portballintrae, approximately 3 miles from Portrush, Dunluce is one of a series of fortifications built on rocky outcrops extending into the sea. It stands a hundred feet above the sea. Dunluce Castle was built in the Anglo Norman period, probably by Richard de Burgh, who was Earl of Ulster. It is thought by many to be the most picturesque and romantic of Irish castles. A defended site from at least 500AD, the present castle ruins date mainly from the 16th & 17th Centuries. It was the power base of the MacDonnell family for nearly 100 years. A thriving merchant village once stood around the fortress was burned down by Irish armies in 1641. Two years earlier, part of the castle, including the kitchens, fell into the sea!
In 1589 around the time of Sorley Boy McDonnell's death, repairs and adjustments were made to the castle in the scottish style and these included the construction of cannon ports to accommodate cannons taken from the nearby wreck of the Spanish Armada ship the Girona in 1588.
After the Royalist second Earl was arrested at Dunluce in 1642, the castle remained unoccupied and gradually fell into decay, although it remained the property of the Earls of Antrim until 1928 at which point it was transferred to the State for preservation.
OPENING HOURS
April-Sept: Daily 10.00am-6.00pm
Oct-March: Daily 10.00am-5.00pm
(Last admission strictly 30 minutes before closing)
Admission charges apply - see NI Environment Agency for latest prices
USEFUL LINKS
NI Environment Agency Information for Dunluce Castle
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