The town of Carrickfergus is said to have taken its name from King Fergus who lost his life in a storm near the site of the town in approximately 530 AD.

Carrickfergus Castle

The castle is associated with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ulster around 1170 AD and continued to be an administrative centre and garrison of the English in Ulster. Its close proximity to Scotland also strengthened the ties between Ireland and the mainland.

Our interest in the Caste is that it marks the point where King William III landed in Ireland on 14 June 1690 on the very pier which you can see in the photograph above. At the conclusion of his tour of the Castle and town he left for Belfast.

The spot where King William landed.

While not a flattering image of King William it is believed to be an accurate rendering.

The following photographs depict various stages in the life of the castle.

The Murder Hole

Here boiling tar was poured on top of attackers as they attempted to enter the castle.

Dropping the Portcullis in an emergency thereby blocking the enterance of castle to attackers.

The following are examples of the type of weaponry used to defend the castle.

The canons pictured above date from the late 1700s and protected the castle from ships entering the mouth of Belfast Lough.

In earlier times both longbows and crossbows were effectively deployed from the castle battlements.

Our final photograph shows the interior of the Great Hall located in the Castle Keep.