Kinbane Head

Kinbane Head wasn’t a planned stop; we just happen to see the sign and decided to check it out. This is a lovely location along the coastal road to stop and wander around. It is just a short mile off of the main road. Prepare yourself for a bit of a hike. There are lots of stairs. Take your time and enjoy the view in both directions. If it is windy in the parking lot be prepared for what it will be like sea-side. The wind along the coast is a force to behold. Be extra careful along the edges of steep drop-offs. Kinbane Castle stands in ruin today; slowly waning away to ruble.

Kinbane Castle was built by Colla of the MacDonnell clan, the clan who also built many other castles and buildings in the area. This was the time when the MacDonnell’s were the most powerful clan along the Antrim Coast. It was completed in about 1547 but was destroyed in fighting with the English only eight years later. Colla himself died in the castle or the vicinity in 1558 and is believed to be buried in the Bonamargy Friary, not too far away. There is a story that a group of English soldiers were trapped during a siege of the castle. Fires were lit by the besieged to call for help and locals responded and arrived armed surrounding the besieging soldiers who were massacred in the area in or near a hollow cave under the castle called the “Hollow of the English.” The castle was rebuilt and remained inhabited until the 1700’s. It was then abandoned and fell into decay. The only thing that stands today is the ruins of a small tower and few remnants of the wall.

see also:
THE DARK HEDGES | CAUSEWAY COAST | GIANTS CAUSEWAY | KINBANE HEADLAND & CASTLE | THE GLENS OF ANTRIM | BINEVENAGH & BEYOND | DOWNHILL DEMESNE – MUSSENDEN TEMPLE & BISHOPS HOUSE

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