Dunaneeny Castle (or ''Dunineny Castle'',

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

''Dún an Aonaigh'') is a ruined castle on the outskirts of Ballycastle in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The castle was home to the chiefs of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg and later the MacDonnells of Antrim. The castle is purported to be the birthplace of Scottish-Irish chief

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Sorley Boy MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), also spelt as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), Scoto-Irish chief, was the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, 5th of Dunnyveg, of Dunyvaig Castle, lord of Islay and ...

History

Established by Alexander MacDonnell, Dunaneeny held a commanding position overlooking Port Brittas (Ballycastle Bay) in which galleys brought over from

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north ...

and the Isles would shelter. Local tradition suggests that a castle may have been first built on the site by the O'Carrol's, an old Irish fmaily who previously lived in the area before the MacDonnell's. Excavations of the site have revealed a much more complex history to the site pre-dating the castle, with evidence to suggest that it may have been inhabited as a late prehistoric or protohistoric promontory fort. Ballycastle's famous

Ould Lammas Fair The Ould Lammas Fair is a traditional fair held in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. It is associated with the Lammas harvest festival. The fair has be ...

is said to have started in the grounds around Dunaneeny Castle, now known as Castle Head. In 1571 Sorley Boy MacDonnell ordered the celebration of public games for the coming of age of his nephew

Gillaspick MacDonnell Gillaspick MacDonnell (''Giolla Easpuig MacDomhnaill'') was a son of Colla MacDonnell, Captain of the Route and Evelyn MacQuillan. He was killed accidentally in 1571 at Ballycastle. Biography Upon the death of his father in 1558 at Kinbane Cas ...

Bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

was one of the events in which Gillaspick tried but was fatally wounded after being gored by the bull. The Lammas Fair can trace its origins to these games and the sheep markets held in the area. The Irish language name of the castle, Dún an Aonaigh translates as "fort of the assembly" or "fort of the fair" - further alluding to the origins of Ballycastle's Ould Lammas Fair. According to letters written by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

's secretary and spymaster

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

, it was from the cliffs at Dunaneeny Castle on the Irish mainland that Sorley Boy MacDonnell helplessly watched the

Rathlin Island massacre The Rathlin Island massacre took place on Rathlin Island, off the coast of Ireland on 26 July 1575, when more than 600 Scots and Irish were killed. Sanctuary attacked Rathlin Island was used as a sanctuary because of its natural defences and ...

. According to the Earl of Essex he boasted that Sorley Boy watched helplessly from the mainland and was "like to run mad from sorrow". Sorley Boy MacDonnell later died at the castle in 1590, with tradition telling stories of a funeral procession carrying the chieftain from Dunaneeny, through the town to his final resting place at

Bonamargy Friary Bonamargy Friary is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, off the Cushendall Road on the approach to Ballycastle. The name Bonamargy means ‘foot of the Margy River’, the river formed by the joining of the Cary River and Shesk Rive ...

. Shortly after 1600, Sorley Boy's son Randall MacDonnell rebuilt parts of the castle along with substantial structures inside the walls that were built in the fashionable English timber-frame technique of the period.

Present Day

Dunaneeny Castle is currently listed as a scheduled protected monument by the Northern Ireland

Department for Communities The Department for Communities (DfC, Irish: ''An Roinn Pobal'', Ulster Scots: ''Depairtment fur Commonities'') is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility f ...

. The remains of the castle is located on the cliffs overlooking Ballycastle Bay, behind a caravan park, on an almost triangular headland enclosed by a deep rock-cut ditch. There are remains of the gatehouse along with sections of surviving walls, roughly 2 metres high and 1 metre thick in places, with traces of two other structures within the interior of the site.

References

Diocese of Down and Connor Ancient and Modern by Rev. J. O'Laverty (published 1887) - Parish of Ramoan
Castles in County Antrim Ruined castles in Northern Ireland {{Antrim-geo-stub