Carrickfergus Castle

Yesterday I took a short trip by train to the town of Carrickfergus, which is approximately 12 miles northwest of Belfast. The city is the oldest town in the county (Antrim) and is one of the oldest settlements in Northern Ireland as a whole. Following the most recent Royal Wedding, Prince William was bestowed the honor of becoming Baron of Carrickfergus.

An Irish folk song entitled "Carrickfergus" recorded by Van Morrison 

The town is visited today primarily because of the castle along its shores. As the oldest surviving Norman fortification, the rocky outcrop in Belfast Lough was established in the late 12th century. Two additions to the castle over the following centuries further fortified the castle which underwent numerous sieges in its history. More recently the castle was used as an air raid shelter during WWII as a German Blitz descended on Belfast. Until the end of WWII the castle was under control of the armed forces before finally being transferred to the Department of the Environment who now controls it as a monument.

Former walls and bastion of the second building phase of the castle. A natural fissure between the left side of the photo and the new addition to the right had existed until it was filled to extend the castle inland.

Unfortunately, the castle is set up mostly as a children's history lesson, which detracts immensely from the grandeur of this important site. As you walk around the site there are numerous mannequins who represent historical figures who used the castle and the introductory videos to the history of the site is a cartoon reenactment of the sieges. In addition, many of the walls within the keep have been painted over with scenes of what life might have been like during certain periods of history. I was pleased to see that a class from a local school was touring the facility, but I thought the exhibition was poorly done and cheapened the importance of the castle. A £4 entrance fee didn't help either...