Remembering the parties at Dunluce Castle
Written: Oct 04 '06 (Updated Oct 04 '06)
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Pros: Beautiful castle on the cliff top. Interesting history. Cheap entrance fee.
Cons: Close to the road
The Bottom Line: Dunluce is probably the most picturesque castle in Northern Ireland. You can either stop near the main road for a photo, or take a little longer to stroll its ruins.
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| cr01's Full Review: Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland |
One of the things I most enjoy about my travels is that it gives me the rare chance to see something unexpected and heart achingly beautiful. My first glimpse of Dunluce Castle a few miles from the Giants Causeway on the Northern Irish coast certainly gave my brain that WOW I crave.
Most visitors catch sight of the ruined castle perched right on the cliff edge, from the busy Giant’s Causeway coastal road. The ornate castle remains are still almost up to their original height, and so make for a particularly impressive view.
We were lucky enough to pass by on a scorchingly hot and bright day, and so stopped at the nearby car park for a while. From here, we got a great view of the castle just 100 metres or so up the road. Many visitors are happy to point their cameras at the castle from this distance, but we decided to brave a short wander down the busy road and visit the castle itself. The entrance fee is £2 (just shy of $4) per person.
Castle History
There had long been some form of castle at Dunluce, but constant raids and attacks over the years meant a considerable amount of continual rebuilding.
The history of Dunluce doesn’t seem that clear, and I have spotted a number of inconsistencies in various accounts. However, at one point, the Castle’s support village was ransacked and burnt to the ground, and the castle was modified and strengthened.
By the 1500’s, things were only moderately calmer. There were some impressive battles and skirmishes between rival clans during this era. Sorley Boy MacDonnell, enemy of the English and Scottish rulers took over the castle towards the end of his life. MacDonnell was a Scot, forced from his original lands by the Scottish King. He also had some kind of disagreement with the English nobility. If nothing else, this man chose high-class enemies.
By the 1600’s, MacDonnell’s descendents were still living at Dunluce and still under threat of siege and battle. During a planned attack, one of the ships of the Spanish Armada dropped along the coast with the intention of blowing up the castle from the sea. Unfortunately, they got their bearings wrong, and after trying to blow up the Chimney Stack at the Giants Causeway, sunk in the rocks.
Despite the turbulent atmosphere, the wife of the MacDonnell leader was a sophisticated Londoner by birth. While she didn’t like the draughty castle or the grand manor house living quarters at its centre, she had taken to hold grand dinner parties to compensate for her wind swept turbulent life.
Unfortunately, a natural disaster ultimately did for the castle. During an evening storm in 1639, part of the cliff beneath Dunluce collapsed taking the kitchens with them. Most of the kitchen staff died although history does not report whether the evening’s meal was also lost. It was the excuse the Lady of the house was looking for; she vowed never to step foot in the castle again. Heh, that’s women for you!
By the late 1600’s, the MacDonnell clan were in declined circumstances and had abandoned the castle to the elements for good.
What to see
Today, the castle ruins are certainly grand. I can just imagine just how exciting it would have been to attend a MacDonnell party at the house. At one, a guest held the MacDonnell host captive for a while, so I guess the excitement wouldn’t have only been of the pleasurable kind.
The remains of the manor house stand closest to the sea (now that the majority of the kitchens have fallen to the waves). From here, I could see the still cobbled courtyard with its narrow funnel shape for defence. The MacDonnell’s kept cows nearby, to be able to herd them into the narrow courtyard with little notice. Any attacker would have to confront a herd of animals in front of them. Kill them and they create an effective barrier to the main house. While the manor house is impressive, some rather unsympathetic remodelling of the original front windows looked out of keeping with the weathered stone of the remainder of the building.
There is one tower to climb, but be warned, there are no safety barriers. It’s your own stupidity if you fall off.
The castle has a host of display boards dotted around, giving a detailed and interesting explanation of the history of the castle, and outlining at which part of the castle you are standing.
The original cobbles are still underfoot, although they are badly weathered by age and weather. Those a little unsteady on their feet should take care. We did see a hardy woman touring a good proportion of the castle by wheelchair, aided by her strong-armed husband (like me, she was hunting down all the information boards). I think she was quite brave and prepared for a rough ride!
The castle has a small wooden gift shop, but I was disappointed to spot that most of the goods on offer were of the generic Irish variety (Guinness baseball caps and Irish toffee collections), rather than anything much about Dunluce itself.
Summing up
The castle certainly looks dramatic from the road, and if the weather is good, it is well worth the slight detour from the road to the car park to grab a photo opportunity.
I personally found it worth the extra £2 admission to find out a little more about the history of the place, but if you are a traveller on a strict timetable, the extra tour round the place probably doesn’t add too much.
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- cr01 asserts his right to be associated as the author of this review 2006 -
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cr01
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Member: Chris
Location: Yorkshire, England
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