List of castles in Northern Ireland

The six counties of Northern Ireland

This is a list of castles in Northern Ireland.

County Antrim

See also: Category:Castles in County Antrim

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Antrim Castle or Massereene Castle		Antrim	Plantation castle and later country house	1613	Built by Sir Hugh Clotworthy alongside an earlier motte, the plantation castle was besieged unsuccessfully in 1641 and again in 1648. It was extended in the 1660s by Viscount Massereene and rebuilt as a Georgian country house in 1813. This was expanded in 1887 but burned down in 1921, possibly due to arson. The ruins were later demolished, though the castle gardens have been restored.
Ballycastle Castle		Ballycastle			The castle that gave Ballycastle its name stood in the Diamond at the centre of town. The ruins were removed in 1850.
Ballygally Castle		Ballygally	Tower house	1625	James Shaw of Greenock, Scotland, built the tower house and it remained in his family until 1820. It was used as a coastguard station from the 1830s, but reverted to a dwelling in the late 19th century. In 1938 it was converted into a hotel and a new wing was added. It remains as a hotel and is grade A listed.
Ballylough Castle		Bushmills	Tower house	15th century	The castle was a seat of the MacQuillans, and was attacked and captured by the O'Donnells in 1544. In the 18th century the estate was the property of the Traill family, who built Ballylough House nearby. The ruins of the castle were repaired for use as a dovecote in the 1820s. Two walls remain in the grounds of Ballylough House.
Belfast Castle		Belfast	Country house	1870	The original Belfast Castle was located in the city centre, but burned down in 1708. The present house was built by the Marquess of Donegall on the hills to the north of the city. It was designed by John Lanyon in the Scottish Baronial style. It later passed to the Earl of Shaftesbury, and was granted to the Corporation of Belfast in 1935. The house was opened to the public as a venue for weddings and dances and remains in use for this purpose, having been extensively restored in the 1980s.
Carra Castle		Cushendun	Hall house	14th century	Little is known of this site, which may have been built in the 14th or 15th centuries, though it is traditionally the place where Shane O'Neill was killed by the MacDonnells in 1567. Archaeological investigation suggests use of the abandoned building as a cillín (infants' burial ground) in the 16th century.
Carrickfergus Castle		Carrickfergus	Norman castle	1188	The tower and inner ward were built by John de Courcy, who led the Norman invasion of Ulster in the 12th century. King John captured the castle for the English crown in 1210. It was held by Hugh de Lacy in the 13th century, who set about construction of the outer walls and gatehouse. It later returned to the English crown, and was besieged several times. Improvements were made, in the 16th and 17th century, in order to accommodate artillery. The castle was captured by the French in 1760 and afterward served as a military outpost, housing an armoury, magazine and prison. It was given into state care in 1928, and remains open to tourists as a historic monument.
Castle Upton		Templepatrick	Plantation castle and country house	1610	Built as a tower house by Sir Robert Norton, it was sold in 1625 to Captain Henry Upton of Cornwall. His descendant John Upton, 1st Viscount Templetown, commissioned Robert Adam to remodel the house, extending it in a picturesque castellated style. The 2nd Viscount commissioned further remodelling by Edward Blore. The house was restored in the later 20th century and remains a private residence.
Dunaneeny Castle		Ballycastle		1603	Constructed by Sir Randall MacDonnell after 1600 on the site of a promontory fort, which had also been used as a base by English soldiers in the 1580s. The castle was built with sham defensive features, and excavation of the site indicated that it had never been a residence but was built for administration purposes. Only the foundations of the gatehouse are now visible, on the cliffs near a caravan park.
Dunluce Castle		Portballintrae	Multi-period castle		Built by the MacQuillans on the site of a 10th-century fort, the original castle dates from the 14th or 15th century. The castle passed to the MacDonnells with the marriage of Colla MacDonnell and Evelyn MacQuillan in the 16th century. Shane O'Neill captured Dunluce from Sorley Boy MacDonnell in 1565, and in 1584 it was besieged by Sir John Perrot who battered the castle with artillery. The castle was repaired by Sorley Boy's son Sir James, including construction of the Scottish-style gatehouse. In 1635 Randal MacDonnell, 2nd Earl of Antrim, built the hall for his wife, the Duchess of Buckingham, though she refused to live in the castle after part of it fell into the sea in 1639. The MacDonnells later moved to Glenarm Castle and Dunluce deteriorated. It was given into state care in 1928, and is open to the public.
Dunseverick Castle		Dunseverick			This coastal site was blessed by Saint Patrick and raided by Vikings in the 9th century. By 1560 the castle was held by Sorley Boy MacDonnell, and was taken from him by Shane O'Neill that year. It was held by the O'Cahans in the 17th century, but was destroyed by Cromwell's troops in the 1650s. Only the ruins of the gatehouse remain standing.
Galgorm Castle		Ballymena	Bawn and country house	17th century	Galgorm Castle is a mid-17th century country house, probably built for Dr Alexander Colville, within a bawn wall of the early 17th century. It was renovated in the 1830s by the Earl Mount Cashell. It is a grade A listed building and remains a private residence.
Glenarm Castle		Glenarm	Country house	1756	Glenarm was the site of a medieval tower house, which was ruined by the mid 18th century when Alexander MacDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim, commissioned Christopher Myers to rebuild it as his principal residence. This was completed in 1756 in the Palladian style, and extended in the 1780s. In the 1820s, Anne, Countess of Antrim, commissioned Sir Richard and William Vitruvius Morrison to remodel the house and build the gatehouse in a "Jacobethan" style. The house was gutted by fire in 1929 and damaged by another fire in 1966, but was restored each time. It remains in the MacDonnell family and is a grade A listed building.
Kinbane Castle		Ballycastle		1540s	Constructed by Colla MacDonnell on a coastal promontory, it was shortly after damaged by the cannons of the English under Sir James Croft in 1551. It was besieged again in 1555 and Colla died at the castle in 1558. In the 17th century it was held by the MacAlisters, and was occupied into the 18th century. The ruins came into state care in the 1970s, and comprise the remains of curtain wall and a ruined tower.
Kilwaughter Castle		Larne	Country house	1807	The present house was commissioned in 1807 by Edward Jones-Agnew to designs by John Nash. It was not completed until 1830, with further alterations continuing into the 1850s. It passed by marriage to an Italian family, and by 1939 it was owned by two sisters who lived in Italy. With the outbreak of the Second World War it was seized by the Custodian of Enemy Property, and used as a military training camp until 1945. The abandoned building was unroofed and stripped in the 1950s, and remains an empty shell. Investigation in the 1950s showed that it incorporates a 17th-century Scottish style tower house at its core.
Lissanoure Castle		Loughguile			A medieval castle stood at Loch Guile, which was replaced by the Macartneys in the 18th century. This was rebuilt in the 19th century but subsequently demolished. Only the estate buildings now remain, constructed using stone from the castle.
Olderfleet Castle		Larne	Tower	16th century	Probably built in the 16th century as a fortified storehouse and watchtower, overlooking the entrance to Larne Lough. This building was known as Coraine or The Curran. A separate structure formerly known as Olderfleete was located to the north-west, though nothing of this remains.
Rathlin Castle or Bruce's Castle		Rathlin Island			Limited remains of a medieval castle stand on a promontory on the island's east coast. It is said to have been the location where Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, stayed in 1306 after his flight from Scotland.
Red Bay Castle		Glenariff		1563	Sir James MacDonnell built a castle here in 1563, on the site of an earlier promontory fort. This was attacked and destroyed by Shane O'Neill two years later, but rebuilt by Sorley Boy MacDonnell in 1568. The site was robbed of stones for the repair of Dunluce Castle, but was restored in 1604. Cromwell's troops destroyed it once more in 1652 and only fragments of masonry remain above ground.
Shane's Castle		Randalstown	Tower house and country house		A series of buildings have stood on this site, a major seat of the O'Neills. A late medieval tower house forms the core of the complex, which was extended in the 17th century. This was replaced by a large country house in the 18th century. The Earl O'Neill commissioned John Nash to build a new extension in the early 19th century, but these were left unfinished when the main house burned down in 1816. The ruins of the various buildings are now in state care and open to the public.

County Armagh

See also: Category:Castles in County Armagh

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Creevekeeran Castle		Keady
Fathom Castle		Newry
Gosford Castle		Markethill	Country house		The Acheson family built a Plantation castle around 1617, though this was destroyed in the rebellion of 1641. It was replaced by a manor house which was occupied until around 1840. In 1819, Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford commissioned Thomas Hopper to design the present castle. The Norman-revival style castle was completed around 1859, though the family vacated it in the 1920s. It was sold to the Ministry of Agriculture in 1958, and was briefly a hotel in the 1980s. After a period of neglect it was sold on to developers in 2006, though the proposed residential renovation stalled in 2010.
Killeavy Castle		Meigh	Country house	1836	Originally a farmhouse called Killeavy Lodge, it was expanded by Newry banker Powell Foxall to create the present Gothic revival castle, designed by George Papworth. It was later owned by the Bell family but fell into disrepair in the later 20th century. It was sold in 2012 to owners wishing to restore the building.
Lurgan Castle or Brownlow House		Lurgan	Country house
Moyry Castle		Jonesborough	Plantation castle and bawn
Tandragee Castle		Tandragee	Plantation castle and later country house

County Down

See also: Category:Castles in County Down

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Ardglass Castle		Ardglass		1400	A 15th-century fortified storehouse and tower were established here, possibly by the Gascon knight Janico Dartas. The western part of this complex was rebuilt in around 1790 by Lord Charles Fiztgerald to form the present house, now used as a golf club. The eastern parts remain as standing walls.
Audley's Castle		Strangford	Tower house and bawn	15th century	The tower house was constructed by the Audley family, and in 1646 it passed to the Wards of Castle Ward. In the 18th century the tower was incorporated into the parks of the Castle Ward estate. The tower remains standing though the bawn is largely ruined.
Bagenal's Castle		Newry	Tower house	16th century	English soldier Nicholas Bagenal built the tower house as his residence in around 1578, on the site of Newry's medieval abbey. It remained in his family until the 18th century, after which it was altered, and it became part of a bakery in 1894. The significance of the building was only noted in 1996 after the bakery closed; it has since been restored and now houses the Newry and Mourne Museum.
Bangor Castle		Bangor	Country house	1848	Robert Edward Ward had the house constructed in 1848 to replace a 17th-century building on the site. The architect was probably William Burn, with Anthony Salvin having designed the separate stables building. It was the home of Lord Clanmorris in the early 20th century, and on the death of his widow in 1941 the estate was bought by Bangor Council. The house has served as Bangor Town Hall since 1952.
Castle Ward		Strangford	Tower house
Castlewellan Castle		Castlewellan	Country house
Bright Castle		Downpatrick	Tower house		Built in the late 15th or early 16th century, the castle may have been demolished by Lord Grey in 1538. Only the eastern half now remains standing.
Carrowdore Castle		Donaghadee
Clough Castle		Clough
Cowd Castle		Ardglass
Dundrum Castle		Dundrum
Greencastle		Kilkeel			Ruins
Hillsborough Castle		Hillsborough	Country house
Jordan's Castle		Ardglass
King's Castle		Ardglass
Kilclief Castle		Strangford
Killyleagh Castle		Killyleagh
Kirkistown Castle		Cloghy
Mahee Castle		Strangford Lough
Margaret's Castle		Ardglass
Myra Castle		Strangford
Narrow Water Castle		Warrenpoint
Portaferry Castle		Portaferry
Quintin Castle		Portaferry
Quoile Castle		Downpatrick
Sketrick Castle		Whiterock
Stormont Castle		Belfast
Strangford Castle		Strangford
Walshestown Castle		Strangford

County Fermanagh

See also: Category:Castles in County Fermanagh

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Castle Archdale		Irvinestown	Plantation castle and bawn	1615	John Archdale built the tower house and bawn in 1615. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 it was destroyed by Rory Maguire but subsequently rebuilt. In 1689 it burned down and was not restored. A mansion, also known as Castle Archdale, was built on the estate in 1778, though this has since been demolished. The ruins of the old castle are within a country park.
Belle Isle Castle		Lisbellaw	Country house	1629	Built by Sir Paul Gore, and substantially rebuilt by his descendant Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross in the 18th century. It was restored in the 19th century and remodelled in an English Tudor style 1907. It is now owned by the Duke of Abercorn and operated as a venue and accommodation.
Castle Balfour		Lisnaskea	Plantation castle and bawn	1619	Built by Sir James Balfour in a Scottish style, it was in use until 1803 when it burned down. Although ruined it is one of the best-preserved of Plantation-era castles.
Castle Caldwell		Belleek	Plantation castle and later country house	1613	Francis Blennerhassett built a tower house and bawn before 1620, which was sold to Enniskillen merchant James Caldwell in 1660. In the 1780s it was extensively remodelled and enlarged to form a country house in the Gothic style. It was abandoned in the late 19th century, and in 1913 the Forest Service purchased the estate. The ruins remain standing within the forest.
Castle Coole		Enniskillen	Country house	1798	Built by the politician Armar Lowry-Corry, 1st Earl Belmore from 1789, Castle Coole was designed as a showpiece by architect James Wyatt. The house is now managed by the National Trust and is open to the public.
Crevenish Castle		Kesh	Plantation castle and bawn	1611	Built by Thomas Blennerhassett between 1611 and 1622, it was lived in until the 18th century when it became ruined. Around a third of the structure still stands in a caravan park.
Crom Castle		Newtownbutler	Country house	1838	Commissioned by John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne, in 1831, the house was designed by English architect Edward Blore. It was completed in 1838 but burned down only three years later, after which it was rebuilt to the same design. It remains the home of the Earl of Erne.
Old Crom Castle		Newtownbutler	Plantation castle and bawn	1619	Originally owned by Michael Balfour of Mountwhaney, Fife, the house and bawn were built before 1619. It was besieged by the Irish in 1641, and again in 1689. It later passed to the Crichton family and burned down in 1764. It was remodelled as a garden feature in the 19th century, after the 'new' Crom Castle was built. The old castle and parks are now owned by the National Trust.
Enniskillen Castle		Enniskillen	Tower house, later a barracks	15th century	The castle keep was established on a strategic site in the early 15th century by Hugh the Hospitable of the Maguire family. It was attacked by the O'Donnells and O'Neills in the 16th century, and taken for the British crown in 1594. Although recaptured by the Maguires, they destroyed most of the castle in 1602 to deny it to the British. During the Plantation of Ulster Sir William Cole was appointed constable of Enniskillen, charged with rebuilding the castle. From 1607 he rebuilt the tower and constructed the Water Gate. The castle was besieged by the Irish in 1641. The site was extensively rebuilt as a barracks in the later 18th century, and was occupied by the army until 1950. It is now in state care and has been open to the public since 1964, currently housing the County Museum.
Monea Castle		Monea	Plantation castle and bawn	1618	The Scots-influenced tower house was built by Malcolm Hamilton, who added the bawn in the 1620s. It was besieged and captured during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. After 1688 it was the residence of Gustavus Hamilton, Governor of Enniskillen, but was abandoned following a fire in the 18th century. The ruins are in state care and open to the public.
Necarne Castle (Castle Irvine)		Irvinestown	Plantation castle and later country house	1615	A tower house and bawn were built by Gerald Lowther in the Plantation period. The lands passed to the Irvine family later in the 17th century, and in 1833 the castle was rebuilt with a new Tudor-Gothic south wing. It has been empty since being used as a military hospital in the Second World War.
Portora Castle		Enniskillen	Plantation castle and bawn	1614	A tower house and bawn built by Sir William Cole, it was let to James Spottiswood, Bishop of Clogher, in the 1620s, and was besieged in 1641 and 1688. The tower was occupied by the Coles until 1764, after which it decayed. It was partly destroyed in an explosion in 1859, and further collapsed during gales in the late 19th century.
Tully Castle		Blaney	Plantation castle and bawn	1618	Built for Sir John Hume, Tully comprised a tower house within a courtyard, which had square towers at each corner. The house was burned down by Rory Maguire during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and was not subsequently reoccupied. A 17th-century style garden has been created in the courtyard.

County Londonderry

See also: Category:Castles in County Londonderry

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Coleraine Castle		Coleraine	Motte and bailey	1248	Norman-era castle, built on the site of a monastery and replaced with an 18th-century manor house.
Dungiven Castle		Dungiven	Country house	1839	An earlier house was built on this site in the late 17th century. This was replaced by Robert Ogilby who constructed the present Gothic-revival castle in the 1830s, although it remained incomplete on his death in 1839. It was later converted into flats and then bought by the local authority, who proposed demolition in the 1980s. It has since been restored and is now a hotel.
Limavady Castle or O'Cahans Castle		Limavady	Tower house	15th century	A stronghold of the O'Cahans, the tower house by the River Roe may have been built here in the late 15th century. A siege by the MacQuillans is recorded in 1542. The castle was demolished in the 1820s.
Low Rock Castle		Portstewart	Country house		Late-Georgian castellated villa, once the home of Field Marshal Sir George White (1835–1912). It was demolished in 2001.

County Tyrone

See also: Category:Castles in County Tyrone

Name	Image	Location	Type	Date	Notes
Altinaghree Castle		Donemana
Augher Castle		Augher
Benburb Castle		Benburb	Plantation castle and bawn
Castlederg Castle		Castlederg	Plantation castle and bawn
Castle Caulfield		Castlecaulfield	Plantation castle and bawn
Harry Avery's Castle		Newtownstewart	Tower house
Killymoon Castle		Cookstown	Country house
Mountjoy Castle		Brockagh	Plantation castle and bawn
Roughan Castle		Newmills	Plantation castle and bawn
Roxborough Castle	150px	Moy	Country house
Stewart Castle		Newtownstewart	Plantation castle and bawn

See also

• List of country estates in Northern Ireland
• List of castles in the Republic of Ireland
• List of castles
• List of abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland
• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland