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Carrickfergus Castle Review

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Carrickfergus Castle

Address: Off A2, Carrickfergus
Phone: 028/9335-1273
www.ehsni.gov.uk/places/monuments/carrick.shtml

Category: Castles/Palaces
Location: Carrickfergus

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Fodor's Review:

Carrickfergus Castle, one of the first and one of the largest of Irish castles, is still in good shape. It was built atop a rock ledge in 1180 by John de Courcy, provincial Ulster's first Anglo-Norman invader. Apart from being captured briefly by the French in 1760, the castle stood as a bastion of British rule right up until 1928, at which time it still functioned as an English garrison. Walk through the castle's 13th-century gatehouse into the Outer Ward. Continue into the Inner Ward, the heart of the fortress, where the five-story keep stands, a massive, sturdy building with walls almost 8 feet thick. If you're here at the end of July, you can enjoy the annual Lughnasa festival, a lively medieval-costume entertainment.

Cost: £3
Open: Apr., May, and Sept., Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. 2-6; June-Aug., Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. noon-6; Oct.-Mar., Mon.-Sat. 10-4, Sun. 2-4

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