Welcome to Carrickfergus!
Like many other similar structures in Ireland, Carrickfergus Castle is located by the local harbour on a rocky outcrop. Its keep is ninety feet and rises from turreted walls. It was built in the year 1180 in order to ward off enemies by Sir John deCourcy.
DeCourcy’s intention was to prevent attackers from entering Belfast Lough, of which the castle guards the entrance. The town itself is now regarded almost as a district of Belfast City, as they’re so near to each other, and is part of its greater metropolitan area. The Scots, the French and the English have all attacked the castle over the centuries, showing how strategically significant the town and its keep was in bygone years. The Battle of Carrickfergus, for example, was fought there towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth I, and resulted in the Scots defeating the English.
The Church of St Nicholas is the resting place of the first earl of Belfast and his wife, Sir Arthur and Lady Chichester. The seventeenth century tomb features ornate carvings, while some of the glass in the church is from medieval times. However, the church itself also originates from around the time the Norman castle was built.
Carrickfergus is the oldest town in County Antrim, and its name in Irish means the Rock of Fergus. The Fergus of the title is Fergus Mór mac Eirc, a sixth century king of Dal Riata. This was a Gaelic kingdom that stretched across western Scotland and included territory on the northern coasts of Ireland, principally Northern Ireland’s Antrim, where Carrickfergus is situated. The town’s custom rights were sold to Belfast in the seventeenth century, leading to economic and political decline for Carrickfergus.
The town has a famous Irish folk song in its honour, the nineteenth century “Carrickfergus”. The song is originally from Munster. There are numerous versions of lyrics, but the song invariably begins:
“I wish I was in Carrickfergus…”
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Royal Portrush Golf Club
Portrush, Co. Antrim
Venue for first ever professional tournament in Ireland.
- Tel: +44 (0)28 7082 2311
- Email: info@royalportrushgolfclub.com
Antrim Golf Club
Ballycastle Golf Club
Ballyclare Golf Club
Ballymena Golf Club
Balmoral Golf Club
Belvoir Park Golf Club
Burnfield House Golf Club
Bushfoot Golf Club
Cairndhu Golf Club
Carrickfergus Golf Club
Cliftonville Golf Club
Cushandall Golf Club
Donaghadee Golf Club
Dunmurray Golf Club
Fortwilliam Golf Club
Galgorm Castle Golf Club
Garron Tower Golf Club
Gilnahirk Golf Club
Gracehill Golf Club
Greenacres Golf Club
Greenisland Golf Club
Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club
Kilkeel Golf Club
Knock Golf Club
Lambeg Golf Club
Larne Golf Club
Lisburn Golf Club
Mahee Island Golf Club
Mallusk Golf Club
Malone Golf Club
Massereene Golf Club
Mount Ober Golf Club
Moyola Park Golf Club
Ormeau Golf Club
Rathmore Golf Club
Rockmount Golf Club
Shandon Park Golf Club
Spa Golf Club
Temple Golf Club
Antrim Tourist Attractions
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Broughshane - Tha Garden Village of Ulster - Broughshane
The village of Broughshane is world famous for its floral displays. The competitions the village has won include Ulster in Bloom ,Britain in Bloom, Europe in Bloom, Nations in Bloom
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Carnlough - Carnlough
A relaxed fishing village at the foot of the famous Antrim Glens. This site contains a wealth of tourism information on the area
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Cullybackey - Cullybackey
Cullybackey is the Ancestral Home of Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President of the United States of America.
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Cushendall - Cushendall
On the main Coast Road the 'The Capital of the Glens' is at the foot of the Lurigethan Mountain. As a Conservation area it is steeped in history, an example of this is the perfectly preserved Turnley's nineteenth century Curfew Tower, the focal point of the village. Visit the Layde Graveyard which is said to be one of the oldest and most important historical sites in the Glens of Antrim. As a parish it dates back to before 1288. Further highligts on the Antrim coastline include the stunning Carrick-a-rede rope bridge which spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island and Dunluce Castle, famous for its history and breath-taking views. p And all this before you experience the Glens of Antrim!
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Glenarm Forest Park - Glenarm
Glenarm Forest Park is an 800-acre nature preserve once part of the demesne of Glenarm Castle, but now dedicated for public use as a peaceful picnic sanctuary and woodland trail, maintained by the Ulster Wildlife Trust. Through a stone archway at the top of Altmore Street visitors can stroll along the riverbank under towering spruce trees, ancient oaks and sycamores following different pathways marked on the map at the car park. No matter what the season, a walk in Glenarm Forest offers views of the Castle, waterfalls, wild flowers, native plants, and a chorus of birdsong. Open during daylight hours only
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Islandmagee - Islandmagee
A beautiful coastal country paradise ideal for golfing, sea fishing, diving, horse riding and bird watching. Islandmagee is 8 miles long and is joined to the mainland by an attractive raised causeway
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Rathlin Island - Ballycastle
A rare place, wild, beautiful and of extraordinary ecological value and social interest. This island lies 6 miles off Ballycastle in Northeast Ireland and 16 miles from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. It is eight miles long and less than one mile wide. Shaped like a boot made with layers of basalt on limestone on the higher parts. It is surrounded by limestone and basalt sea cliffs reaching 470 ft in places. Three lighthouses stand as monument to its wild coast while over 40 recorded shipwrecks lie in the depths of underwater cliffs, caves and a marine botanical paradise.
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The Giants Causeway - Bushmills
While none of Ireland's man-made or natural features received any recognition in the ancient Wonders of the World we can only presume that the ancient Greeks and Romans who compiled that list did not have the opportunity to visit County Antrim! No better contender for this role could be found than the legendary Fionn Mac Cumhail, a giant among giants. It is told (by a very reliable source!) that during a fight with a Scottish giant, he scooped up a huge clod of earth and flung it at his fleeing rival. The remaining cavity filled with water and formed Lough Neagh while the clod, landing in the middle of the Irish Sea, would eventually form the Isle of Man. On another occasion he spied with his sharp eyes a lady giant on the island of Staffa with whom he fell in love. To allow her cross to Ulster without the inconvenience of wetting her feet, he built a highway of stepping-stones from Antrim to Scotland, the present Giant's Causeway.
