Shelli's blog: Dunluce Castle

Saturday looked to be a nice day so we talked Steve into taking the day off so we could go sightseeing. He didn't require too much persuading. We decided to head off on the train to county Antrim. It lies northwest of Belfast on the the coast.

The transportation services have a wonderful offer. A family pays 20 pounds for a day of riding the train and all translink buses in Northern Ireland. Unlimited, we were excited to take advantage of that offer.

It turned out so were hundreds of other families. The train was standing room only on the way out and on the way in. The way out was not to bad we were still fresh. The way back we were foot sore and tired. Standing was the last thing we wanted to do for an hour.

We had some entertainment though. Now some people found it annoying and unruly, but it was kind of silly and funny if you let it be. Six girls about age 16-20 had spent the day at Portrush beach. They were spread around our coach in seats of two but they were determined to keep in touch with each other by yelling once in a while. Checking up on how they were all fairing could be funny, but it got better. The two girls we were standing next to decided to give up their seats to two older ladies who had also spent the day out together. Now that they were standing in the aisle they could more freely get to their friends and chat. Yes loudly but it was funny to eaves drop on. One girl completely lost it when she saw a nice looking young man leaving the train. She had met him at the beach earlier. Then came the goofy story.

She met him and they were padding about in the water. When they decided to have a swimming race. Well she gets away out into the water and remembers. She can't swim. This must have been a fact because all the girls kept repeating it and laughing hysterically. You could not help but smile.

Then the karaoke started they sung in my favorite style. Loud and proud until you can't remember the word. So you hum the verse and sing the chorus loud again. They were sweet enough to serenade the birthday girl with them. Happy Birthday was sung very loudly through the coach. The hour and a half long train ride when by very quickly with their silliness and yes they had been drinking some but they were pretty harmless.

On the way out we rode the train to Coleraine. Then we hopped the coastal rambler bus to Dunluce Castle. It was located in a farmers field. Really, you just pulled off a busy winding road like the Canyon into what looks to be a farmers field and voila a castle. As you can imagine parking was not so good.

Dunluce Castle is everything you expect of a castle. High over the water, hard to climb up to, it used to have a draw bridge. The kids were thrilled unlike Belfast Castle that we could only see a part of this one you could walk through it all because it was in ruins.

"Built around 1500 by the MacQuillans. The castle was the center of power in Antrim. They were ousted by the MacDonalds in the 1550's, who were descended from the scottish clan. the MacDonalds soon became the dominant family across North Antrim and the Glenns. They were in constant conflict with the surronding families such as the O'Cahans, the MacQuillians and the O'Donnells. Intrigue and shifting alliances were the story of the day as each family sought to strengthen its own power and increase its land holdings.

There was also conflict with the English Crown, who were concerned about the growing power of the MacDonnells. In 1584 Queen Elizabeth I sent Sir John Perrot, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, to deal with this threat and he successfully besieged and took Dunluce. Queen Elizabeth granted the castle back to Sorley boy MacDonnell in 1586, after he pleaded his loyalty to her, but this peace with the English Crown was not to last. In 1594 the Ulster Gaelic cheiftains rose in rebellion against the English, in what came to be known as the Nine Years War. In 1601 Randal MacDonnell led his men to join the rebellion with Hugh O'Neill at the Battle of Kinsale. The Irish revolt was devastatingly put to an end here, but Randal managed to ensure his survival by surrendering to the English at Carrickferges, and was pardoned. when King James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne in 1603, he granted Randal MacDonnell the territories of the Route and the Glens, giving him control of the coast of Antrim."

Manor house

Buttery and Loggia

Manor windows

South-east Tower Stairs

"Under King James, the Plantation of Ulster was implemented in 1609, where people from England and Scotland were settled in Ireland in an attempt to establish greater Crown control and prevent further Irish rebellion. Randal MacDonnell engaged in an extensive scheme to bring large numbers of Scots across to settle his lands. He established a new town at Dunluce and a series of other settlements across North Antrim. These were planned settlements, carefully set out in a regular format, with newly laid streets and, houses and administrative buildings. By 1620 Randal was created Earl of Antrim and his large estates were extremely successful. Following his death in 1636, his son, also called Randal, became the second Earl of Antrim and the head of the family. He had recently married Catherine Manners, a wealthy widow of the Duke of Buckingham and together the enjoyed a lavish lifestyle at Dunluce."