Kinbane Castle (''Caisleán Ceinn Bán, White Head Castle, Kenbane/Kenbaan Castle'') is located 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 ...

, on a

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

between Ballycastle and

Ballintoy Ballintoy () is a small village, townland (of 274 acres) and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is alongside the B15 coast road, north-east of Coleraine, west of Ballycastle and between it and Bushmills. It is in the histori ...

. The name comes from the Irish for "white head", referring to the limestone of the promontory. Nowadays, the castle is largely destroyed. Kinbane Castle is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Cregganboy, in

Moyle District Council Moyle District Council was a local council in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymoney Borough Council, Coleraine Borough Council and Limavady Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisatio ...

area, at grid ref: D0876 4383. The area surrounding Kinbane Castle is a Scheduled Historic Monument, grid ref: D0879 4381. The site also has views of

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...

and Dunagregor

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

fort.

History

In 1547, a two-storey castle was built at the headland by

Colla MacDonnell Colla MacDonnell was a son of Alexander MacDonnell, Lord of Islay and Kintyre (Cantire), and Catherine, daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan. He died at Kinbane Castle in 1558. Biography After the death of his father Alexander MacDonnell in 1539, ...

. The castle was damaged and partly destroyed due to English sieges under Sir James Croft in the 1550s and rebuilt afterwards. Colla MacDonnell died at the castle in 1558, and his son

Gillaspick MacDonnell Gillaspick MacDonnell (''Giolla Easpuig MacDomhnaill'') was a son of Colla MacDonnell, Captain of the Route and Evelyn MacQuillan. He was killed accidentally in 1571 at Ballycastle. Biography Upon the death of his father in 1558 at Kinbane Cas ...

subsequently inherited it. The hollow below the castle is known as ''Lag na Sassenach'' (''Hollow of the English'') and it is allegedly that a troop of English soldiers besieging the castle were surrounded and killed there during the 16th century.

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Somhairle Buíodh MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), known as Sorley Boy MacDonnell, whose last name was also given as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), was a Gaelic chief, the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, ...

, brother of Colla, later acquired the castle when trading property with Gillaspick. He later handed it to the MacAlisters because of their loyalty. The castle remained in the possession of the descendants of the MacAlisters of Kenbane until the 18th century.

References

External links

{{coord, 55, 13, 45, N, 6, 17, 29, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Castles in County Antrim Clan MacAlister Ruined castles in Northern Ireland State Care Monuments of Northern Ireland Tower houses in Northern Ireland

History

See also

References

External links