John de Courcy started building the castle in the twelfth century after arriving from Dublin determined to establish for … As the Earls (and later Dukes) of Northumberland, they were among the greatest landowners in northern England. Now having looked at the defensive features we can decide whether Carrickfergus castle is the strongest in Medieval Ulster. Early barbicans built from earthworks were designed to add complexity to the layout of the entrance to confuse attackers. Notable areas of Carrickfergus Castle that are worth seeing on a visit include the restored banqueting hall, medieval life exhibits and the 17th-19th century cannons which once formed part of the castle’s defences. If you come here, you can find out the life of the medieval era for it has various exhibits.
In 1797 the castle became a prison and in the early 1800's, under the threat of a possible French invasion, its defences were considerably strenghtened with 22 cannons.
In 1217 a new curtain wall was built to protect the castle from all sides and angles, much of which survives today along with its fascinating crossbow loops that are situated at the basement level of the castle. Contact Castle St Townparks Cahir Tipperary Ireland +353 52 7441011 . As was typical of the time, this castle was built by a Norman conqueror in 1177. You simply can’t over-exaggerate the defensive capabilities of concentric castle designs. A Medieval Castle layout – of the old castle in York, England. William Orr was tried and hanged on Gallows Green, and many prisoners passed through the castle during the 1798 rebellion. A castle contains many rooms and different features.
John de Courcy is credited with building the inner ward with several buildings including a massive 4-storey keep, a small bailey at the end of the promontory with a high polygonal curtain wall, and the east gate. Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. From a technical point of view Carrickfergus would tend not to be the strongest Castle in Ulster, as other castles with more modern defensive features do exist. Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Reproduced with kind permission of Carrickfergus Borough Council 2004 An imposing 13th-15th Century structure, Cahir Castle was skilfully designed by Conor O’Brien to be a state-of-the-art defensive castle. This is a defensive element that protected an entrance to the castle. Carrickfergus-Castle-w320x2-v3.jpg There are few buildings in Ireland with such long, well chronicled and fascinating histories as Carrickfergus Castle. This is a plan of York Castle, which shows many of the key elements. Some barbicans consisted of a narrow passage that allowed a limited number of attackers access to a gate, forcing them into a confined area where they could be shot at by defenders. Credit: Steve Montgomery, CC-BY-SA-2.0. Historic Houses and Castles. Nearby, on the … The raised sections between, called merlons, helped to shelter the defenders during an enemy attack. Facts about Carrickfergus Castle 9: public visitors. It was strategically useful, with 3/4 of the castle … However, many Medieval castles shared similar features – defensive barbicans and deep moats, with a kitchen and a great hall; and a Keep (or donjon) at their heart.
The most famous of all myths is probably that dragons and alligators lived in them which is really JUST A MYTH! It is located 11 miles north-east of the Northern Irish capital of Belfast, and has a population of some 27,000+ people. Carrickfergus – also known as ‘Carrick‘ – is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The top of the castle walls were the battlements, a protective, tooth shaped parapet often with a wall walk behind it for the soldiers to stand on. THE MOAT : A moat is a well known very amazing feature of a castle and has many rumors and myths about it. If you are interested to know more about Carrickfergus Castle, you can go directly to the castle. The defenders could fire missiles through gaps (crenels). Any individuals wishing to attack the castle would have had to run a real gauntlet of hazards and obstacles in order to reach the centre of the castle, and capture this mighty fortress for themselves. In 1797 the castle was pressed into service as a prison for United Irishmen. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in Ireland. Warkworth Castle and Hermitage form one of the most unusual pairs of medieval monuments in Britain.