Carrickfergus Castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking the seafront in the town of Carrickfergus, just north of Belfast in County Antrim.

The impressive castle initially consisted of an inner ward and massive four-storey keep, built at the end of the 12th century to guard the approach to Belfast Lough by the Anglo-Norman ruler of Ulster, John de Courcy. A curtain wall was constructed when the English captured the castle under King John, and Hugh de Lacy was responsible for further modifications when the castle was returned to the Ulster Earls. The strategically sited fort was attacked and captured numerous times in the following years, and served as a prison after it was taken by the French in the 18th century.

Despite surviving almost 800 turbulent years of continuous military occupation, the ruins of mighty Carrickfergus - which are some of the oldest castle ruins in Ireland - are very well-preserved. The past is revived through life-size models of historic figures which occupy the castle's interiors, while exhibitions provide an insight into medieval life - with a banqueting hall and medieval clothes on display.

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