CARRICKFERGUS, a sea-port, borough, market and post-town, and parish, and a county of itself, locally in the county of ANTRIM, of which it was the ancient capital and is still the county town, 88 miles (N.) from Dublin. It is thought to have derived its present name signifying “The Rock of Fergus”, early in the 4th century, from Fergus Mac Erch, a chieftain of Dalriada, who established the first Irish settlement on the opposite coast of Caledonia.
Carrickfergus Castle is recognised as the best preserved Norman castle in Ireland and has guarded Belfast Lough since the 12th century. Tours of the grounds are operated all yeare round and it’s also home to the traditional annual Lughnasa Fair, a recreation of medieval life, including a traditional harvest fair, sword-fighting, archery, magicians, Punch and Judy shows, medieval drumming, troubadours and acting troupes. An ancient triad quoted by Dr. O’Conor records that St. Patrick blessed a tower or strong hold of the Dalaradians, in which was a well of miraculous efficacy, called Tipra Phadraic, “The Well of St. Patrick.” It is uncertain at what period the astle was originally erected; the present structure. From the style of its architecture, was evidently built soon after the arrival of the English.
John, Earl of Morton and Lord of Ireland, was here in the lifetime of his father Hen. II. from whom John De Courcy received the grant of all the lands he might conquer in Ulster; and his despatch to the king, dated at Carrickfergus, in which he mentions his having taken the castle, is still extant among the MSS., in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and is written in Latin. This castle, with subsequent additions, is still remaining, and is justly considered one of the noblest fortresses of that time now existing in Ireland. De Courcy having fallen into disgrace with the succeeding English monarchs, his castles and possessions in this country fell into the hands of the De Lacy family lords of Meath and De Clares who becoming tyrannical and oppressive, incurred the anger of King John. During the contentions which arose among the English settlers, after they had established themselves in the country, this place suffered so much that Hugh De Lacy the younger, who on the restoration of his family to the royal favour, repaired the town and strengthened it by the introduction of new settlers, has ever been regarded as its founder.
In 1234, Carrickfergus is mentioned as one of the haven towns of Ulster; but from that period till shortly after the commencement of the 14th century, little of its history is known. The De Lacys again becoming obnoxious to the English monarch, and the Lord Justice Mortimer being sent against them with a considerable force, they made their escape into Scotland, and invited Edward Bruce, the brother of the Scottish monarch to invade the country and become their king. Accordingly in 1315, Bruce embarked 6000 men at Ayr, and accompanied by the De Lacys and several of the Scottish nobility, landed at Wolderfirth, now Olderfleet, where being joined by numbers of the Irish chieftains, he routed Richard De Burgo, Earl of Ulster, who had been sent against him; and having slain several of the English nobles and taken many of them prisoners, advanced to lay siege to the castle of this place. During the siege, Thomas Lord Mandeville, who commanded the garrison, made a sally on the assailants whom he repulsed at the first onset; but being recognised by the richness of his armour, he was felled to the ground by a blow of a battle-axe and instantly killed. The garrison disheartened by the loss of their commander, agreed to surrender the castle within a limited time, and on the appointed day, 30 of the Scottish forces advancing to take possession, were seized as prisoners, the garrison declaring that they would defend the place to the last; but for want of provisions they were obliged to surrender. Bruce, having secured Carrickfergus, advanced to Dublin, and arrived at Castleknock, within four miles of the city; but finding the citizens prepared for his reception, he entered the county of Kildare, and advanced towards Limerick, laying waste to the country with fire and sword; on his retreating towards the north, he was attacked near Dundalk by Sir John Bermingham, who defeated the Scottish forces and killed their leader. King Robert Bruce arrived soon after with a strong reinforcement, but on learning the fate of his brother, returned to his own dominions, and thus terminated an enterprise which had thrown the country into a state of unprecedented desolation.
After the evacuation of the country by the Scots, Carrickfergus again reverted to its former possessors; but the desultory warfare carried on at intervals for successive ages in the north of Ireland, during which its strength and situation rendered it the centre of operations, subjected to many severe calamities.
Lord Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, invaded Ulster in 1315, but Carrickfergus castle was to remain the one sure bastion of the English in the late Middle Ages. In 1333, William of Ross, Earl of Ulster, was assassinated here by his own servants; and his countess, with her infant daughter fleeing into England, the O’Nials, the original lords of the soil, immediately succeeded in expelling the English settlers, and for a time retained possession of the place. In 1386 the town was burned by the Scots; and in 1400 it was again destroyed by the combined forces of the Scots and Irish. In 1481, a commission was granted to the mayor and others, to enter into league with the Earl of Ross, Lord of the Isles, who had usurped the sovereignty of the Hebrides from the Scottish Crown. In 1497, the town and the neighbourhood were visited by famine; and in 1504 it was resolved that none but an Englishman should be entrusted with the custody of its castle, or with that of Green Castle, in the county of Down.
The town continued for many years to be a stronghold of the English, and even when the English Government was so reduced as to be scarcely able to maintain a standing army of 140 horse within the English pale, the castle still remains in their possession. In 1573 the corporation addressed a remonstrance to the Lord-Deputy Fitzwilliam, representing that one-third of the town was then in ruins; and in the summer of the same year, it was still further desolated by fire. In this state it remained for many years, though the Earl of Essex landed here with his train, on his taking possession of the government of Ulster, to which he had been appointed; and though Sir Henry the succeeding lord-deputy, gave the English council a forcible representation of its deplorable condition, in the account of his northern expedition, two years afterwards.
The particular events by which it was re ace to this state of desolation are detailed in a "Discourse of Knockfergus;' preserved among the Cottonian manuscripts in the British Museum, in which its calamities are ascribed to an early quarrel with Bryan Balloughe chieftain of the adjoining territory of Clannaboy, whose son and successor continued to harass the inhabitants till they were compelled to purchase peace by consenting to pay an annual tribute; to the repeated devastating incursions of the Scots; to the continued depredations of the O'Nials and MacDonnells, and to various other causes. The Lord-Deputy, Sir Henry Sidney, made great efforts for the improvement and security of the town, but so greatly were the resources of the townsmen reduced that, in 1581, Lord Grey, then deputy, found it necessary to issue an express edict prohibiting them from paying to the Irish lord of the country the tribute hitherto paid to the successors of Bryan Ballouge, and called, in that document, “Breyne Balafs Eric.”
In the sixteenth century, the castle was attacked on several occasions and, in 1602, Conn Ó Neill, the chief of Clandeboye, was imprisoned there.
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The town LARNE is situated on the north-western shore of Carrickfergus bay, or Belfast Lough, along which it extends for nearly a mile, comprising three portions, the town within the walls, and two suburbs, called respectively the Irish and the Scottish quarters; the former situated to the west, along the road leading to Belfast; and the latter to the north-east, along the road to Larne and Island Magee, and inhabited by the descendants of a colony of fishermen from Argyle and Galloway, who took refuge here from the persecutions of 1665. The town within the walls was formerly entered by four gates, of which only the remains of the North or Spittal gate now exist; of the walls there is yet a considerable portion on the north and west sides in a very perfect state. |
| Latharna: ’Descendants of Lathar.’ Lathar was an Irish Prince who owned the lands around Larne in ancient times. During the 18th century many Ulster Scots emigrated to America from the port of Larne. The region features a number of memorials with the most notable being the Friends Goodwill monument in the town’s Curran Park, which commemorates the first emigrant ship to sail from Larne in May 1717, heading for Boston. | |
The town contains about 800 houses, built chiefly of stone and roofed with slate; several of superior character have been built within the last forty years, during which period considerable improvements have taken place. The castle, which is in good preservation, and during the disturbances of 1798 was used as a state prison, is situated on a rock projecting boldly into the sea, by which it is surrounded on three sides at high water; this rock is 30 feet in height at its southern extremity, and declines considerably towards the land, the outer walls of the castle are adapted to the irregularities of its surface; and the entrance is defended by two semicircular towers, with a portcullis an machicolation above. In the interior are barracks for the reception of two companies of foot and a few artillery-men. The keep is a square tower 90 feet high, the lower part of which is bomb-proof, and is used as a magazine : in the third story is an apartment 40 feet long, 38 feet wide, and 26 feet high, called Fergus's dining-room. The well in this tower, anciently celebrated for its miraculous efficacy, is now nearly felled up; a quantity of old iron was taken out of it many years since, from which it may have derived its medicine s properties. The castle was formerly governed by a constable, who had very extensive powers; the present establishment consists only of a governor and a master-gunner.
The harbour is situated in latitude 540 42' 45" (N.) and longitude 50 47' (W.), 9˝ miles (N. W. by W.) from the Copeland islands’ lighthouse. It is formed by a pier a extending from the old castle, in a western direction, to distance of 460 feet, and within about 400 feet of low tide mark at spring tides; at high water it affords only a depth of from six to nine feet, so that vessels more than 100 tons cannot approach the quay; it is also subject to the accumulation of mud and sand. A handsome pier was erected for the use of the fishermen, 1834, at an expense of £2600, defrayed by a grant from Government and by local subscriptions. The port is sheltered by land from the prevailing south and west winds; and though winds from the other points produce certain degree of swell in the offing, yet, from the situation of the Copeland islands and Kilroot point, it so protected as not to be open seaward more than 2˝ points of the compass.
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