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Shane's Castle is a ruined
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
near
Randalstown Randalstown is a townland and small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. It has a very prominent disused railway viaduct and lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. The town is bypassed by the ...
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. North ...
, having been destroyed by fire in 1816. The castle is on the north-east shores of
Lough Neagh Lough Neagh ( ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It has a surface area of and supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows come ...
. Built in 1345 by a member of the
Clandeboy Clandeboye or Clannaboy (from Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin, Northern Ireland. The entity wa ...
O'Neill dynasty The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the North ...
, it was originally known as Edenduffcarrick, meaning "brow of black rock" (from the Irish ''éadán dúcharraige''). It owes its present name to Shane McBrian McPhelim O'Neill, who ruled Lower Clandeboy between 1595 and 1617.


History

Shanes' castle was originally built in 1345. A fire in 1816 left the castle in ruins though the family papers were saved.


In popular culture

The castle's 1816 destruction by fire was the subject of
John Neal John Neal may refer to: * John Neal (writer) (1793–1876), American writer, critic, and activist * John R. Neal (1836–1889), American politician * John Randolph Neal Jr. (1876–1959), American lawyer * John Neal (politician) (1889–1962), Br ...
's poem "Castle Shane," published in '' The Portico'' the same year. The ruins have been used in the HBO TV series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the firs ...
''.


Shane Castle Railway

The Shane Castle Railway was the brainchild of Raymond O'Neill, 4th Baron O'Neill, a railway enthusiast, who featured the line as a star experience when opening the Castle as a tourist attraction from 1971 until 1995. The railway was of 3 ft 0in gauge and in 1982 included the following:


See also

* Earl O'Neill * Baron O'Neill


References

* *


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20100309084823/http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/Shanes-Castle-Antrim-P3047 * http://www.libraryireland.com/Atlas/Shanes-Castle.php * Castles in County Antrim Ruined castles in Northern Ireland Grade A listed buildings Listed ruins in Northern Ireland Clandeboye {{Antrim-geo-stub