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  • Dunluce Castle

    Topics:
    • Historic environment, 
    • Archaeology & Monuments

    87 Dunluce Road
    Bushmills
    BT57 8UY
    United Kingdom

    Contact

    Phone: 028 2073 1938
    Email: dunluce.castle@communities-ni.gov.uk
    Website: https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/dunluce-castle-medieval-irish-…

    Additional Information

    Open to the public: During opening hours (please check DiscoverNI website, charges may apply)
    Grid reference: C9046041370
    View on the Historic Environment Map Viewer
    SM number: ANT 002:003
    View details on the NI Sites & Monuments Record (NISMR)

    About Dunluce Castle

    The iconic ruin of Dunluce Castle bears witness to a long and tumultuous history. First built on the dramatic coastal cliffs of north County Antrim by the MacQuillan family around 1500, the earliest written record of the castle was in 1513.

    It was seized by the ambitious MacDonnell clan in the 1550s, who set about stamping their mark on the castle under the leadership of the famous warrior chieftain Sorely Boy MacDonnell during an era of violence, intrigue and rebellion.

    In the 17th century Dunluce was the seat of the earls of Antrim and saw the establishment of a small town in 1608. Visitors can explore the findings of archaeological digs within the cobbled streets and stone merchants’ houses of the long-abandoned Dunluce Town.

    The dramatic history of Dunluce is matched by tales of a banshee and how the castle kitchens fell into the sea one stormy night in 1639.

    Did you know? Carers go free to this site.

    Other historic places you can visit:
    Love Heritage NI

    Dunluce Castle

    Dunluce Castle
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