Standing alone on the edge of a tall rock, steep drops down to the sea on every side, and only connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge, Dunluce Castle has always been shrouded in mystery. Used as a fort ever since the Vikings sailed to the north coast of Ireland, the castle witnessed a turbulent, and violent, history until it fell into ruins in the 1600s.
The spectacular cliff top setting of Northern Ireland’s Dunluce Castle
Ghostly Visitations
It is no wonder that myths and legends should have grown up around the abandoned castle. Sightings of ghosts, giants and mythological creatures abound, and the site is reputed to have been the inspiration for the mysterious Cair Paravel, the royal castle of C S Lewis’ Narnia.
An early ghost was a woman in white who stood on the cliff and gazed out to sea each day at sunset. Perhaps she was waiting for a ship, or perhaps she was looking across to the nearby Scottish coast. Whatever her motives, she disappeared after one of the castle’s residents tried to speak to her.
More dramatic is the story of the castle kitchen slipping into the sea in the 17thcentury, taking all of the kitchen staff (apart from a young boy who cowered in the corner) with it. According to the legend, the cries of the doomed workers as they fell into the sea can still be heard on stormy nights!
Dunluce Castle Today
Today Dunluce sits peacefully beside the road, along the Causeway Coastal Route, a popular place for tourists to soak up the castle’s history and romantic atmosphere. But when the mist comes down and there is no sound but the screeching of seabirds it is almost possible to imagine the sights and sounds of its ghostly past.
The castle is connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge
I want to go there! Wow It looks amazing !
When I spent time in UK and Europe, I was amazed by the history. So much is so much older than even my country is. There certainly is a fascination with things that have come before, and the tales certainly make them even more interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Aha! I love visiting castles in the UK. It's a shame that it's in ruins now! (Like so many others)
I love sites where there are rumours of the paranormal. Looks so beautiful there.
Glad I stumbled upon your blog through the UBC. Love historical posts. So much to see. Thanks for sharing!
Love your post. It is a really pretty setting!
Thanks Deb. It is a beautiful place, in a lovely part of the country.
Beautiful place and beautifully written.
Thanks Shannon!
I can imagine the screaming already!