Dunluce Castle
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This late-medieval and 17th-century castle is dramatically sited, on a headland dropping sheer into the sea on the north Antrim Coast. It creates an exciting image of danger and adventure backed up by its history. It was first documented in McQuillan hands, in 1513, and later became the stronghold of the McDonnells, Earls of Antrim and Lords of the Isles. During the McDonnell ownership it was taken by Somhairle Buidhe (Sorley Boy) MacDonnell, whose brother had married the daughter of McQuillan. Besieged and badly damaged by Sir John Perrott, the Lord Deputy, in 1584, it was subsequently recaptured by Sorley Boy who, submitting to Queen Elizabeth in 1586, was made Constable of the Castle. This did not stop him from aiding the few survivors of the Girona, an Armada galleass that sank off nearby Lacada point, and salvaging cannon from the Girona for use at Dunluce.
Sorley Boy undertook new building at Dunluce, particularly the Italian-style loggia, prior to his death in 1589. His sons, James and Randal, added to the fortifications, probably building the Scottish-style gatehouse around 1600. Randal, who became Viscount Dunluce, and 1st Earl of Antrim, founded a town, west of the castle, in 1620 and brought settlers from Scotland to live there.
In 1635 the 2nd Earl, also Randal, married Catherine Manners, widow of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. The Earl built the Manor House, with its bay windows, for her and a new kitchen court on the rock. Despite this, the Duchess never liked Dunluce and when part of the kitchen court fell into the sea, during a storm in 1639, she insisted that the family abandon the castle and build a house inland.
The 17th-century mainland court contains domestic buildings leading downhill to the narrow crossing to the rock, formerly protected by a drawbridge to the Gatehouse. The buildings on the rock are almost all of 16th/early-17th century date. Slight earthworks, visible to the west of the castle, are remains of a formal garden and part of the long-deserted town, whose ruined church stands in the graveyard south of the castle, separated from it by the modern Coast Rd.
Facilities
- Guided tours available
- Visitor Centre• Shop
- Limited wheelchair Access
- Toilets / Disabled Toilets
- Picnic Area
- Parking outside castle
Access & Booking
Access Path To The Cave Temporarily Closed
Winter (1 st October to 31 st March) Open daily 10.00am to 4.30pm
Admission: Adult - £2.00, Ch/OAP - £1.00, Child under 4 - Free, Group Rate - (10 or over) £1.00 per person
Summer (1 st April to 30 th September) Open daily 10.00am to 5.30pm
Admission: Adult - £2.00, Ch/OAP - 1.00p, Child under 4 - Free, Group Rate - (10 or over) £1.00 per person.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing time. In special circumstances the site may be opened on request outside of these hours. Please contact the numbers below to discuss your requirements.
Booking and queries: For information on visits to Dunluce Castle, please contact EHS on 028 20 73 1938.
There is an entrance gate from the car-park into sloping mainland court which is linked to the main buildings on the rock by a narrow footbridge. There are some modern surfaces but there are also areas of original paving and cobbles, which will make access to parts of the site difficult for wheelchair-users.
Getting Here
Dunluce Castle is spectacularly sited beside the coast road (A2) between Bushmills and Portrush. Public transport not easily available.