Dunaneeny Castle

Established by Alexander MacDonnell, Dunaneeny held a commanding position overlooking Port Brittas (Ballycastle Bay) in which galleys brought over from Kintyre and the Isles would shelter. Local tradition suggests that a castle may have been first built on the site by the O'Carrol's, an old Irish family who previously lived in the area before the MacDonnell's. Excavations of the site have revealed a much more complex history to the site pre-dating the castle, with evidence to suggest that it may have been inhabited as a late prehistoric or protohistoric promontory fort. Ballycastle's famous Ould Lammas Fair is said to have started in the grounds around Dunaneeny Castle, now known as Castle…

Dunaneeny Castle is currently listed as a scheduled protected monument by the Northern Ireland Department for Communities. The remains of the castle is located on the cliffs overlooking Ballycastle Bay, behind a caravan park, on an almost triangular headland enclosed by a deep rock-cut ditch. There are remains of the gatehouse along with sections of surviving walls, roughly 2 metres high and 1 metre thick in places, with traces of two other structures within the interior of the site.