![]() de Lacy eventually regained his title of Earl of Ulster in 1227, however the castle and its walled town were captured several more times following his death (in 1242) and the town largely destroyed by the Scots in 1402. de Lacy was relieved of his command of the town in 1210, when King John himself arrived and placed the castle under royal authority. It was at this time that he established the nearby St Nicholas' Church. de Lacy oversaw the final construction of the castle, which included the gatehouse, drum towers and outer ward. Sometime between 12, De Courcy was expelled from Ulster by Hugh de Lacy, as authorised by King John. The castle, which is the most prominent landmark of Carrickfergus, is widely known as one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland. Ĭarrickfergus became an inhabited town shortly after 1170, when Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy invaded Ulster, established his headquarters in the area and built Carrickfergus Castle on the "rock of Fergus" in 1177. Upon returning to Ulster some time afterwards, his ship ran aground on a volcanic dyke by the shore, which became loosely known as "Carraig Fhearghais" – the rock of Fergus. In the 5/6th century, Fergus, the son of Erc of Armoy, left the province of Ulster to form a kingdom in Scotland. Archaeological excavations close to the walls' foundations have yielded many artefacts that have helped historians piece together a picture of the lives of the 12th and 13th century inhabitants. Segments of the town wall are still visible in various parts of the town and in various states of preservation. The historical walled town originally occupied an area of around 97,000 square metres, which now comprises the town centre, bordered by Albert Road to the west, the Marine Highway to the south, Shaftesbury Park to the north and Joymount Presbyterian Church grounds to the east. Carrickfergus and the surrounding area was, for a time, treated as a separate county, although it is today part of County Antrim. Belfast Lough itself was known as 'Carrickfergus Bay' well into the 17th century. The British peerage title of Baron Carrickfergus, which had become extinct in 1883, was bestowed upon Prince William on his wedding day on 29 April 2011.Īs an urban settlement, Carrickfergus far pre-dates the capital city Belfast and was for a lengthy period both larger and more prominent than the nearby city. The town is the subject of the classic Irish folk song " Carrickfergus", a 19th-century translation of an Irish-language song ( Do Bhí Bean Uasal) from Munster, which begins with the words, "I wish I was in Carrickfergus." ![]() It is also a townland of 65 acres, a civil parish and a barony. Carrickfergus was the administrative centre for Carrickfergus Borough Council, before this was amalgamated into the Mid and East Antrim District Council in 2015, and forms part of the Belfast Metropolitan Area. ![]() It is County Antrim's oldest town and one of the oldest settlements in Ireland as a whole. ![]() The town had a population of 27,903 at the 2011 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th-century king of Dál Riata. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, 11 miles (18 km) from Belfast. Carrickfergus shown within Northern IrelandĬarrickfergus (from Irish: Carraig Fhearghais, meaning "rock of Fergus"), known locally and colloquially as " Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ![]()
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