Kinbane Castle
Kinbane Castle ( Irish Caisleán Ceinn Bán , also White Head Castle , Kenbane Castle ) is a ruined castle on a long, narrow limestone cape , about 5 km away from Ballycastle on the road to Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland . The name "Kinbane" means "white cape" in German and refers to the white limestone rock on which the castle ruins stand. Not much is left of the original castle and the path up there is narrow and heavily stepped. Kinbane Castle is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Cregganboy ( An Creagán Buí ) in the Causeway Coast and Glens District . The area around Kinbane Castle is a Scheduled Monument . From there, there is also a spectacular view of Rathlin Island and the Iron Age Dunagregor Fort .
history
A two-story castle was built in 1547 by Colla Mac Domhnaill ( Anglis. Colla MacDonnell ), the brother of Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill ( Sorley Boy MacDonnell ). There was a large courtyard and traces of other buildings, probably made of wood, were also found. In 1551 the castle was besieged by English forces under Lord Deputy James Croft as part of an expedition against the MacDonnells. During another siege by English troops in 1555, the castle was partially destroyed by cannon fire . Colla Mac Domhnaill then had it rebuilt and died there in 1558.
The thicket below the castle is called Lag na Sasanach (English: "thicket of the English") and it is said that it happened in the 16th century that a garrison of English soldiers who were besieging the castle there were surrounded and massacred. Fires that were kindled in the Cape as a cry for help were answered by the clans, who came from all sides and surrounded the garrison.
Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill exchanged the castle for another property in Colonsay with Giolla Easpuig Mac Domhnaill, the son of Colla Mac Domhnaill. The castle was then offered to Eoin Mac Eoin Duibh Mac Alastair ( Owen MacEoin Dubh MacAlister, 2nd of Loup ), chief of the MacAllister clan, as a reward for his services and his loyalty to the MacDonnell clan. Eoin Mac Eoin Duibh Mac Alastair was killed in a skirmish with the Carrickfergus garrison in 1571 while fighting side by side with Somhairle Buidhe.
The castle remained in the hands of the descendants of the MacAllisters of Kenbane until the 18th century.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kinbane Castle . In: Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments . Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- ↑ Kinbane Castle . In: Environment and Heritage Service NI - Scheduled Historic Monuments . Archived from the original on November 5, 2008. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
- ↑ a b Kinbane Castle . 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
Web links
Coordinates: 55 ° 13 ′ 45 ″ N , 6 ° 17 ′ 29 ″ W.