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Shane's Castle is a ruined
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
near Antrim in
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, which was mostly destroyed in 1816 by fire. The castle is situated on the north-east shores of
Lough Neagh Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...
, 2.7 miles from
Randalstown Randalstown () is a small town and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. The town, which contains a prominent disused railway viaduct, lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. Randalstown is bypas ...
. Built in 1345 by a member of the Clandeboy
O'Neill dynasty The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the N ...
, it was originally known as Edenduffcarrick, meaning "brow of black rock" (from the Irish ''éadán dúcharraige''). It owes its present name to Shane McBrian McPhelim O'Neill, who ruled Lower Clandeboy between 1595 and 1617.


History

Shanes' castle was originally built in 1345. In 1809, it was decided to rebuild the Plantation castle to a design by John Nash, however a fire in 1816 left the castle in ruins though the family papers were saved. Subsequently a large Victorian-Gothic Castle was built in the 1860's, this survived until it was burnt down in 1922 by the IRA.


In popular culture

The castle's 1816 destruction by fire was the subject of
John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...
's poem "Castle Shane," published in '' The Portico'' the same year. The ruins have been used in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
TV series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
''.


Shane's Castle Railway


History

Shane's Castle Railway was a gauge tourist railway in the grounds of the castle run by Raymond O'Neill, 4th Baron O'Neill. It was laid by NIR staff in their spare time using track with curves to CDRJC standards and opened on 30 April 1971. The line had three stations (Antrim, Millburn and Shane's Castle) and was long. It closed on 31 October 1995 due to declining visitor numbers There had previously been a gauge line in the castle grounds between 1940 and 1956, which was used by the British Army for transport to and from a bomb dump.


Rolling stock


See also

*
Earl O'Neill Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...
*
Baron O'Neill Baron O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1868 for the musical composer The Reverend William O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill, William O'Neill. Born William Chichester, ...


References


Notes


Sources

* *


External links


Discover Northern Ireland - Shanes Castle
(archived 2010)
Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland (1900) Patrick Weston Joyce, "Shane's Castle" entry
* Castles in County Antrim Ruined castles in Northern Ireland Grade A listed buildings Listed ruins in Northern Ireland Clandeboye Randalstown {{Antrim-geo-stub