Kinbane Castle

Kinbane Castle stands on a narrow limestone headland between Ballycastle and Ballintoy in County Antrim. The Irish name Caisleán Ceinn Bán means ‘white head castle’, describing the pale rock on which it was built. Most of the castle now lies in ruins, its walls and towers reduced to low stone outlines. The site overlooks the North Channel with views across to Rathlin Island. Nearby Dunagregor is an Iron Age fort that can be seen from the headland. The castle was first built in 1547 by Colla MacDonnell, a Gaelic chief of the MacDonnell clan. English forces under Sir James Croft attacked it in the 1550s, damaging parts of the structure. Colla MacDonnell died at the castle in 1558 and his son Gillaspick inherited it. Later Sorley Boy MacDonnell took control and passed it to the MacAlister family for their loyalty. Visitors walk along a short path to the headland where the castle ruins stand. The limestone promontory is the most striking feature of the site. The hollow below, called Lag na Sassenach, is said to be where English soldiers were trapped and killed during a siege. From the headland there are wide views of the sea and the neighbouring island. The surrounding area is quiet grassland with few other buildings nearby.