Dunseverick Castle Ruins, Dunseverick, United Kingdom

Dunseverick Castle is located on the peninsula near the small village of Dunseverick and the Giant's Causeway.

Saint Patrick is recorded as having visited Dunseverick castle in the 5th century AD, where he baptized Olcán, a local man who later became a Bishop of Ireland. The original stone fort that occupied the position was attacked by Viking raiders in 870 AD.

In the later part of the 6th century AD, this was the seat of Fergus Mor MacEirc (Fergus the Great). Fergus was King of Dalriada and great-uncle of the High King of Ireland, Muirceartaigh (Murtagh) MacEirc. It is the 500 AD departure point from Ireland of the Lia Fail or coronation stone. Murtagh loaned it to Fergus for the latter's coronation in western Scotland part of which Fergus had settled as his sea-kingdom expanded.

The O'Cahan family held it from circa 1000 AD to circa 1320 AD, then regained it in the mid-16th century. Last one to have the castle was Giolla Dubh Ó Catháin, who left it in 1657 to settle in the Craig/Lisbellanagroagh area. Post 1660 they use the anglicised name McCain/O'Kane.

The castle was captured and destroyed by General Robert Munro in 1642 and his Cromwellian troops in the 1650s, and today only the ruins of the gatelodge remain. A small residential tower survived until 1978 when it eventually surrendered to the sea below.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Gary Sykes (3 years ago)
A good place to start a walk along the hill top looking down on the coast, will take you up to the causeway and on

gwburn (3 years ago)
Wonderful part of Northern Ireland's North Coast. Spectacular walks east or west.

Stewart Morris (3 years ago)
Fantastic views along coast and over to Rathlin Island and Scotland from this section of a gem of a coastal path

John Bashford (3 years ago)
Lovely location, but there's not much of the castle left. There's a bus stop here if you want to continue on to the Giant's causeway.

Tony O'Hagan (4 years ago)
Wow! Just wow. I've lived in the north almost my entire life. How have I never noticed this place. A lovely little technical path down and around. A little boggy. Even on a hot summers day so appropriate footwear suggested. Take in the views. Its simply breathtaking

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Dunseverick Castle Ruins

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