Rathlin Castle

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Rathlin Castle ( Irish Caisleán Reachlainn , also Bruce's Castle ), is a ruined castle on Rathlin Island off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland .

history

In 1306, King Robert I of Scotland retired to Rathlin Castle for the winter after being defeated by Sir Aymer de Valence in the Battle of Methven and by Alexander of Argyll in the Battle of Dalrigh . With him came only a small group of his most loyal men, e. B. James Douglas, Lord of Douglas , the Bruce brothers Thomas, Alexander and Edward , Sir Neil Campbell and Malcolm, 5th Earl of Lennox . They were welcomed by the owners of the island and castle, the Scottish-Irish Bissett family , lords of the Glens of Antrim . Because of this, the Bissetts were later stripped of ownership of the island by the English king.

In July 1575, English forces, led by Sir Francis Drake and John Norreys, attacked the castle with cannons, and when the garrison surrendered to some MacDonnells of Antrim , they killed the defenders except for a few prisoners and the island's residents. The incident became known as the Rathlin massacre . The main army of the MacDonnells of Antrim , stationed in Ballycastle under the leadership of Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill ( Sorley Boy MacDonnell ) , witnessed what went on at Rathlin, where families and valuables had been brought to safety. Mac Domhnaill led his army in a successful retaliatory attack on Carrickfergus , from where the attack on Rathlin had started.

swell

  • Scott: Robert the Bruce . Pp. 84-85.
  • John: Barbours the Bruce . trans G. Eyre-Todd.

Coordinates: 55 ° 17 ′ 50 ″  N , 6 ° 10 ′ 9 ″  W.