They looted the castle and town and then left.In 1797 the castle became a prison and in the early 1800's, under the threat of a possible French invasion, its defences were considerably strenghtened with 22 cannons.Until 1928 Carrickfergus Castle was used as a magazine and armory and during WW II it served as an air raid shelter.A great castle although its exterior is a lot more exiting than its interior. The castle surrendered and the silver in St Nicholas’s Church was stolen.


In 1621 the Presbyterian Church at North Street became the first meetinghouse to be established in the town.During the rebellion of 1641, Carrickfergus was a refuge for fleeing Protestants, soon becoming a base for a counterattack and subsequent massacre of Catholics at Islandmagee.

Die Burg steht unweit des Stadtzentrums von Carrickfergus am nördlichen Ufer des Lough Belfast.
William Orr was tried and hanged on Gallows Green, and many prisoners passed through the castle during the 1798 rebellion. It can be visited for a small fee. Then on June 14, 1690, King William of Orange stepped ashore at Carrickfergus destined for the Battle of the Boyne, where he defeated his father-in-law James II and claimed the English crown as his own.Carrickfergus as a strategic military base came to the fore once again on February 1, 1760, when Commodore Thurot’s French forces attacked the town. De Lacy recovered the earldom of Ulster and the castle in 1227 and endowed the Franciscan friary, where he is said to be buried.The garrison town of Carrickfergus was of strategic significance in the continuing battle for sovereignty in the province of Ulster. Carrickfergus Castle lies on the seafront in the town by the same name, in County Antrim, in Northern Ireland.Carrickfergus Castle was built somewhere between 1177 and 1195 by the Anglo Norman lord John de Courcy. Eight years later, the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy invaded Ulster and established his castle on a volcanic dyke at Carrickfergus in 1180.Between 1203 and 1205, De Courcy was ousted from Ulster by another Anglo-Norman knight, Hugh De Lacy. It is County Antrim's oldest town and one of the oldest towns in Ireland as a whole. Contact the castle direct to make the following bookings: Tour groups and tour companies must pre-book. Only foundations of these walls remain at present.A third phase of building took place between 1226 and 1242 when the castle and the region were under the rule of another Anglo Norman lord, Hugh de Lacy. He used Carrickfergus as the headquarter. In 1689 Frederick Duke of Schomberg landed with Williamite forces at Groomsport, Co Down. The earliest known name for the area was Dun-so-barky, meaning ‘strong rock or hill’. Carrickfergus found itself entangled at the very heart of national and European politics when, in 1688, the town and castle were held by the garrison troops for James II despite the population’s overwhelming sympathy for the Williamite cause. Only foundations of these walls remain at present.A third phase of building took place between 1226 and 1242 when the castle and the region were under the rule of another Anglo Norman lord, Hugh de Lacy. However, by 1689 the castle had fallen into disrepair and was easily captured by General Schomberg in 1690. His leader King William III landed on the pier here in the same year.In 1760 Carrickfergus briefly fell into the hands of the French under the command of Francois Thurot.

Munro gave way to General Monk on behalf of parliament, and the castle was its base until the restoration of Charles II in 1660.In 1797 the castle was pressed into service as a prison for United Irishmen. He became the petty king until 1204 after the eastern Ulster was conquered by Courcy in 1177. This area is now called the Outer Ward. Originally built by the Anglo-Norman nobleman John de Courcy, Carrickfergus Castle was modified repeatedly over the centuries as new weapons, tactics and threats brought fresh challenges to those defending the area. If you would like to hold an event at Carrickfergus Castle, email SCMenquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk to request an application form or call 028 9082 3207.