Location: County Antrim Map
Constructed: 13th century
Dunluce Castle (Dún Libhse in Gaelic) is a striking manor in a state of ruin located on the cliffs of the northern Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. It was constructed in 13th century by Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster. It was built on a basalt surface overlooking the sea, not far from the towns of Portballintrae and Portrush. Dunluce Castle is protected by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, a public agency that deals with the defense and conservation of Northern Ireland artistic and environmental assets.
In the 13th century Richard Óg de Burgh, second Earl of Ulster,
built the first castle in Dunluce. It was simply two towers of 9
meters in diameter. Towards the end of the 13th century, the
McQuillan family took control of the Dunluce area and the castle
until, after losing two great battles against the MacDonald
clan, they gave the latter control over the region.
Later Dunluce Castle became the home of the head of the
MacDonnell clan of Antrim, allied with a new line of MacDonald
from Dunnyveg, Scotland. In 1584, with the death of James
MacDonald, the sixth head of the MacDonald clan of Antrim and
Dunnyveg, the Antrim valleys were occupied by Sorley Boy
MacDonnell, one of his younger brothers. Sorley Boy took over
the castle and restored it according to the typical Scottish
style. Among other things, Sorley Boy swore allegiance to Queen
Elizabeth I, and this allowed his son Randal to be named then
first Earl of Antrim by King James I.
Four years later, the Girona galleon of the Spanish navy sank
due to a storm in the water in front of the castle. The
MacDonnell seized the boat's cannon and sold the cargo from the
sea to pay for the castle's renovation.
Dunluce was home of the counts of Antrim until the
impoverishment of the MacDonnell family, which reached its peak
in 1690, as a consequence of the Battle of Boyne. During the
MacDonnell domain, part of the castle kitchen collapsed into the
sea. According to a legend, only one kitchen present in the room
survived the incident, because the corner of the room where he
was sitting was the only one not to fall into the water. The
owner's wife refused to live in the structure and from that
moment on Dunluce castle was abandoned and many of its parts
were looted to build other buildings nearby.