East wall and Keep

Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in the whole of Ireland. Today it is maintained by the Environment and Heritage Service. Image File history File links Carrickferguscastle. ... Image File history File links Carrickferguscastle. ... The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the nave is a forerunner of the Gothic style. ... Pierrefonds Castle, France Castle has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Belfast Lough (Loch Lao in Irish) is a large intertidal sea lough situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... The Environment and Heritage Service is the United Kingdom Governments conservation agency for Northern Ireland. ...

Origins

Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177 as his headquarters, after he conquered eastern Ulster in 1177 and ruled as a petty king until 1204, when he was ousted by another Norman adventurer, Hugh de Lacy. Initially de Courcy built the inner ward, a small bailey at the end of the promontory with a high polygonal curtain wall and east gate. It had a number of buildings, including the great hall. From its strategic position on a rocky promontory, originally almost surrounded by sea, the castle commanded Belfast Lough, and the land approaches into the walled town that developed beneath its shadows. >>..John de Courcy. ... Events November 25 - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon defeat Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard. ... Headquarters (HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... // Events February - Byzantine emperor Alexius IV is overthrown in a revolution, and Alexius V is proclaimed emperor. ... Norman conquests in red. ... See Also de Lacy Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 25 July 1186, Durrow, Leinster) was granted the lands of the Kingdom of Meath by Henry II in 1172 under the Cambro-Norman invasion of Ireland. ... >>..John de Courcy. ... Places In the United Kingdom: Bailey, Lancashire Bailey is the name of one of the British Sea Areas The Bailey, the historic centre of Durham, England In Canada: Bailey, New Brunswick Bailey Corners, Ontario Baileys Beach, Ontario Baileys Brook, Nova Scotia In the United States of America: Bailey... Belfast Lough (Loch Lao in Irish) is a large intertidal sea lough situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. ...

English control

It appears first in the official English records in 1210 when King John laid siege to it and took control of what was then Ulster’s premier strategic garrison. Following its capture, constables were appointed to command the castle and the surrounding area. In 1217 the new constable, De Serlane, was assigned one hundred pounds to build a new curtain wall so that the approach along the rock could be protected, as well as the eastern approaches over the sand exposed at low tide. The middle-ward curtain wall was later reduced to ground level in the eighteenth century, save along the seaward side, where it survives with a postern gate and the east tower, notable for a fine array of cross-bow loops at basement level. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Events End of the reign of Emperor Tsuchimikado, emperor of Japan Emperor Juntoku ascends to the throne of Japan Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor excommunicated by Pope Innocent III for invading southern Italy in 1210 Gottfried von Strassburg writes his epic poem Tristan about 1210 Beginning of Delhi Sultanate Births... John deer hunting, from a manuscript in the British Library. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... A crossbow is a type of weapon that fires projectiles called quarrels. ...

A chamber on the first floor of the east tower is believed to have been the castle's chapel on account of its fine Romanesque-style double window surround, though the original chapel must have been in the inner ward. The ribbed vault over the entrance passage, the murder hole and the massive portcullis at either end of the gatehouse are later insertions, probably part of the remodelling that followed Edward Bruce's long and bitter siege of 1315-1316. Look up chamber in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... Romanesque St. ... A murder-hole is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders can fire, throw or pour dangerous or noxious substances at attackers. ... Counterweights for the sliding portcullis A portcullis is a grille or gate made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. ... A gatehouse is a feature of European castles and mansions. ... // Edward Bruce (Edubard a Briuis as he was known in medieval Gaelic), (c. ... Events August 13 - Louis X of France marries Clemence dAnjou. ... Events Pope John XXII elected to the papacy. ...

After the collapse of the Earldom of Ulster in 1333, the castle remained the Crown's principal residential and administrative centre in the north of Ireland. During the early stages of the Nine Years War (1595-1603), when English influence in the north became tenuous, crown forces were supplied and maintained through the town's port. And in 1597, the surrounding country was the scene for the Battle of Carrickfergus. Events End of the Kamakura period and beginning of the Kemmu restoration in Japan. ... Throughout the Commonwealth Realms The Crown is an abstract concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government. ... The Nine Years War (Irish: Cogadh na Naoi mBliana) in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ... The Battle of Carrickfergus took place in November 1597, in the province of Ulster in modern County Antrim in Ireland, during the Nine Years War. ...

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a number of improvements were made to accommodate artillery, notably externally splayed gunports and embrasures for cannon, though these improvements did not prevent the castle from being attacked and captured on many occasions during this time. General Schomberg besieged and took the castle in 1690. This is also the place where King William III first set foot in Ireland on 14 June 1690. Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... A small cannon on a carriage, Bucharest. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... William III of England (The Hague, 14 November 1650 – Hampton Court, 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ...

In 1760 it was captured by French invaders under the command of Thurot. They looted the castle and town and then left, only to be caught by the British Navy. 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

Later use

In 1778 one of the first battles of the American War of Independence took place on Belfast Lough just by the castle. John Paul Jones attacked a British navy ship and forced her to strike her colours. In 1797 it became a prison and it was heavily defended during the Napoleonic Wars; six guns on the east battery remain of the twenty-two that were used in 1811. 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Belfast Lough (Loch Lao in Irish) is a large intertidal sea lough situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants Allies: Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von Blücher Karl... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

For a century it remained a magazine and armoury. During the First World War it was used as a garrison and ordnance store and during the Second World War as an air raid shelter. An armory is a military depot used for the storage of weapons and ammunition. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation) Garrison House, built by William Damm in 1675 at Dover, New Hampshire Garrison (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, to equip) is the collective term for the body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air. ...

It was garrisoned continuously for about 750 years until 1928, when its ownership was transferred to the government for preservation as an ancient monument and it is open to the public. The banqueting hall has been fully restored and there are many exhibits to show what life was like in medieval times. Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... The Taj Mahal, commissioned by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...

See also

• Castles in Northern Ireland

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External links

• Environment and Heritage Service - Carrickfergus Castle
• Carrickfergus Castle