Shane's Castle is a ruined castle near Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, which was mostly destroyed in 1816 by fire. The castle is situated on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh, 2.7 miles from Randalstown. Built in 1345 by a member of the Clandeboy O'Neill dynasty, it was originally known as Edenduffcarrick, meaning "brow of black rock" (from the Irish éadán dúcharraige). [1] [2] It owes its present name to Shane McBrian McPhelim O'Neill, who ruled Lower Clandeboy between 1595 and 1617. [2]
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Shanes' castle was originally built in 1345. [3] In 1809 it was decided to rebuild the Plantation castle to a design by John Nash, [4] however a fire in 1816 left the castle in ruins though the family papers were saved. [3] Subsequently a large Victorian-Gothic Castle was built in the 1860's, this survived until it was burnt down in 1922 by the IRA. [4]
The castle's 1816 destruction by fire was the subject of John Neal's poem "Castle Shane," published in The Portico the same year. [5] The ruins have been used in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones . [6]
Shane's Castle Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge tourist railway in the grounds of the castle run by Raymond O'Neill, 4th Baron O'Neill. It was laid by NIR staff in their spare time using 75 pounds per yard (37 kg/m) track with curves to CDRJC standards and opened on 30 April 1971. The line had three stations (Antrim, Millburn and Shane's Castle) and was 1 mile 40 chains (2.4 km) long. It closed on 31 October 1995 due to declining visitor numbers [7] [8] [9]
There had previously been a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line in the castle grounds between 1940 and 1956, which was used by the British Army for transport to and from a bomb dump. [8]
Number | Name | Power | Wheel Arrangement | Manufacturer | Works Number and Year | Origin | Fate | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tyrone | Steam | 0-4-0T | Peckett and Sons | 1026 of 1903 | Worked at British Aluminum Company, Larne. Afterwards run on a small railway in the back garden of William McCormick in Knock, Belfast, then passed to Lord O'Neill in 1969. | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | |
2 | Rory | Diesal, 50 hp | 4wDM | Motor Rail | 11039 of 1956 | Worked at Charles Tennant, Dungiven. | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | |
3 | Shane | Steam | 0-4-0WT | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. | 2265 of 1949 | Worked at Bord na Móna, Clonsast | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | |
4 (1st) | Nippy | Diesal | 4wDM | F.C. Hibberd & Co Ltd | 2014 of 1936 | Worked at Safety in Mines Research Establishment, Buxton. Acquired for Shane's Castle via Narrow Gauge Railway Society. | Passed to Irish Steam Preservation Society at Stradbally in 1986. | |
4 (2nd) | Nippy | Diesal | Motor Rail | - of 1976 | Worked at Blue Circle Industries, Kilvington. Purchased for Shane's Castle in 1984. | |||
5 | Nancy | Steam | 0-6-0T | Avonside Engine Company | 1547 of 1908 | Built in 1908 for Stanton Ironworks, Leicestershire. | Passed to Cavan and Leitrim Railway. | Restoration never completed at Shane's Castle |
6 (1st) | Columbkille | Steam | 2-6-4T | Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. Ltd. | 830 of 1907 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Exhibited at Foyle Valley Railway. | |
6 (2nd) | Diesal | Motor Rail | - of 1974 | Worked at Blue Circle Industries, Kilvington. Purchased for Shane's Castle in 1984. | Passed to Fintown Railway. | |||
12 | Diesal (railcar) | 0-4-0+4wDMR | Walker Brothers (Wigan) at Dundalk, GNR(I) | - of 1934 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Run between 1990 and 2000 at Foyle Valley Railway. | ||
18 | Diesal (railcar) | 0-4-0+4wDMR | Walker Brothers (Wigan) at Dundalk, GNR(I) | - of 1940 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Run between 1990 and 2000 at Foyle Valley Railway. Running at Fintown Railway since 2003. | ||
2w-2PMR | D Wickham & Co | 7441 of 1956 | ||||||
n/a | Purpose-built open-sided carriages for the railway | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. Rebuilt as enclosed carriages. | ||||||
n/a | Three tramcar trailers from Charleroi, Belgium. | Passed to Fintown Railway. |
County Antrim is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,086 square kilometres (1,192 sq mi) and has a population of 651,321, as of the 2021 census. County Antrim has a population density of 211 people per square kilometre or 546 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland.
County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of 961 sq mi (2,490 km2) and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest.
Lough Neagh is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the United Kingdom. It has a surface area of 151 square miles and is about 19 miles (31 km) long and 9 miles (14 km) wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 40.7% of Northern Ireland's drinking water. Its main inflows are the Upper River Bann and Blackwater, and its main outflow is the Lower Bann. There are several small islands, including Ram's Island, Coney Island and Derrywarragh Island. The lake bed is owned by the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury and the lake is managed by Lough Neagh Partnership. Its name comes from Irish Loch nEachach, meaning "Eachaidh's lake".
Baron O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1868 for the musical composer The Reverend William O'Neill. Born William Chichester, he succeeded to the estates of his cousin John Bruce Richard O'Neill, 3rd Viscount O'Neill, in 1855 and assumed by Royal licence the surname of O'Neill in lieu of Chichester in order to inherit the lands of his cousin, despite not being descended in the male line from an O'Neill. The Chichesters trace their lineage to the name O'Neill through Mary Chichester, daughter of Henry O'Neill of Shane's Castle. Lord O'Neill was the patrilineal great-great-great-grandson of John Chichester, younger brother of Arthur Chichester, 2nd Earl of Donegall. The latter two were both nephews of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, and grandsons of Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester. Lord O'Neill was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Antrim.
Antrim was a local government district in Northern Ireland. It was one of twenty-six districts created in 1973, and was granted borough status on 9 May 1977. The borough covered an area of some 220 square miles (570 km2) and had a population of 53,428 according to the 2011 census. It was situated about 19 miles (31 km) north-west of Belfast. It bordered the north and east shores of Lough Neagh, the largest fresh water lake in the United Kingdom, and included the towns of Antrim, Toomebridge, Crumlin, Randalstown, Parkgate and Templepatrick. The council headquarters were located on the outskirts of Antrim town. Although the borough was not within the Belfast Metropolitan Area, it housed the city's international airport and many commuter villages.
Viscount O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1795 for John O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill, who had earlier represented Randalstown and County Antrim in the Irish House of Commons. He had already been created Baron O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim, in 1793, also in the Peerage of Ireland. He died in 1798 and was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. In 1800 he was created Viscount Raymond and Earl O'Neill in the Peerage of Ireland. The same year he was elected as one of the original 28 Irish representative peer. The viscountcy of Raymond and earldom became extinct on his death in 1841. The barony and viscountcy of O'Neill were passed on to his only brother, the third Viscount. These titles became extinct on the latter's death in 1855. The late Viscount's estates were inherited by his cousin, the Reverend William Chichester, who assumed the surname of O'Neill in lieu of Chichester the same year. In 1868, the O'Neill title was revived when he was created Baron O'Neill. This title is still extant.
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It was built to Irish gauge but later acquired a number of 914 mm narrow gauge lines. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway which opened to traffic on 11 April 1848.
Antrim is a town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the banks of the Six Mile Water on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 25,606 people in the 2021 census. It is the county town of County Antrim and was the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council until its 2015 merger with Newtownabbey Borough Council to form Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. The town lies 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Belfast.
Magheramorne is a hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is about 5 miles south of Larne on the shores of Larne Lough. It had a population of 75 people in the 2001 census. Following the reform of Northern Ireland's local government system on 1 April 2015, Magheramorne lies within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.
Belfast Castle is a mansion located in Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a prominent position 400 feet (120 m) above sea level. Its location provides unobstructed views over the City of Belfast and Belfast Lough. There have been several structures called "Belfast Castle" over the centuries, located on different sites. The current "castle" is a Victorian structure, built between 1867 and 1870 on the slopes of Cave Hill, and is Grade A listed. The main entrance into the Belfast Castle Demesne is now where Innisfayle Park meets Downview Park West, just off the Antrim Road. The original main entrance into the current demesne was formerly on the Antrim Road itself, where Strathmore Park now meets the Antrim Road.
The Battle of Antrim was fought on 7 June 1798, in County Antrim, Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between British troops and Irish insurgents led by Henry Joy McCracken. The British won the battle, beating off a rebel attack on Antrim town following the arrival of reinforcements but the county governor, John O'Neill, 1st Viscount O'Neill, was fatally wounded.
The A6 road in Northern Ireland runs for 71.4 miles (114.9 km) from Belfast to Derry, via County Antrim and County Londonderry. While stretches of the road before Randalstown have now been superseded by a motorway, the A6 remains one of the most important arterial routes in Northern Ireland, connecting its two largest cities and urban areas. Between Randalstown and Derry, the road forms part of European route E16.
PlanetLove is an annual Northern Irish electronic music festival which has been held in periods since 1998. Now held at Boucher Road Playing Fields in Belfast, its previous home was at Shane's Castle near Randalstown in County Antrim. It was also previously held at Nutts Corner, Kings Hall, Belfast and near Cookstown in County Tyrone.
Randalstown is a townland and small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. It has a very prominent disused railway viaduct and lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. The town is bypassed by the M22 motorway with junctions at both the eastern and western ends of the town. It had a population of 5,151 people in the 2021 census.
John O'Neill, 1st Viscount O'Neill PC was an Irish politician.
Neal John O'Boyle, also known as NJ O'Boyle, was president of the Irish Republican Brotherhood from 1907 to 1910, succeeding John O'Leary in the role. Seán Ó Faoláin later characterised O'Boyle in Belfast and Tom Clarke in Dublin as typical of the 'older realists' of the movement in the period prior to the Easter Rising.
Drummaul is a townland and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Toome Upper and contains the town of Randalstown.
Ballyscullion House refers to two country houses built for the Hervey family near Bellaghy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, close to Lough Beg at north-west corner of Lough Neagh.
The River Main or Maine is a river in Northern Ireland, flowing through County Antrim.
Take Shane's Castle in County Antrim. ... Lough Neagh was also transformed into the Summer Sea, where Jorah steals a boat, takes Tyrion captive and sets sail to his beloved Daenerys in Meereen.
54°43.9165′N6°16.2196′W / 54.7319417°N 6.2703267°W