Guide to Carrickfergus

In some respects, it is a shame to include Carrickfergus as the starting point of the Causeway Coastal Route, as you could easily and we think should spend a significant part of a day in Carrickfergus alone. 

Carrickfergus Castle - this is a well preserved Norman castle with the first part of the castle built by John de Courcy in 1177.  This castle as seen over 800 years of military fighting and was used as late as WWII.  In the tourist season from Easter to end of September, the castle is open 10 am to 6 pm daily.  Outside of this season, opening times are 10 am to 4 pm daily.  Fees are £3 for adults, £1.50 for children and £8 for a family.  This is an incredible place to see with beautiful views of Belfast Lough from within the Castle.   Alot of Northern Irish castles are in ruins, so to be able to see this castle kept in a condition where you can imagine what it would have been like to live there in 1200 AD is an experience that you should not miss!  There is ample free car parking as well so you can enjoy Carrickfergus without worrying about the cost!

Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Centre - Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States.  Some say that his connection with Carrickfergus is dubious, but what is fact is that his parents emigrated to the US from Carrickfergus in approximately 1765 with Andrew born in 1767. 

The Andrew Jackson Cottage is housed in a traditional thatched Ulster –Scots farmhouse built in 1750’s. It has been restored to its original state including an open fireplace with a daub and wattle canopy and hanging crane. The interior has been decorated as a traditional cottage with a dresser, sponge wear crockery and iron pots and griddles. The centre has an impressive display on the life and career of Andrew Jackson (1767- 1845) 7th President of the United States of America whose parents emigrated from here in 1765 and a collection of Ulster patchwork quilts and farm machinery. 

In the grounds of the centre is the US Rangers Centre, a small museum dedicated to the men of the First Battalions of the elite American Army Unit the US Rangers that was first “activated” in Carrickfergus in 1942. The display includes documents, uniform and photographs and other material detailing the birth of this famous combat unit.  Admission is free.  The address is 2 Boneymore, Carrickfergus, which is a short drive north on the A2 (away from Belfast) on your right hand side which is sign posted. 

Flame!  The Gasworks Museum of Ireland - Carrickfergus boasts Ireland's sole surviving coal gasworks and is one of the only three left in the British Isles. Opened in 1855, it supplied Carrickfergus with gas made from coals for over 100 years. It is now fully restored and has been reopened as a visitor and educational attraction. This museum gives visitors the opportunity to see Europe's largest surviving set of horizontal retorts (in which the gas was made), meet the manager and the workers, and ascend the working gasholder for panoramic views of the town.  The Gasworks produced gas until 1967 and finally closed in 1987.  Please call (028) 9336 9575 to book in advance.  The Gasworks address is 44 Irish Quarter West and is only a short walk from Carrickfergus Castle. 

Carrickfergus Museum and Civic Centre - Located in the heart of the town, the new Carrickfergus Museum explores centuries of history through a range of fascinating collections that are being displayed in their home town for the first time.  Originally established as an Anglo-Norman town in the twelfth century, it was the pre-eminent centre for administration and trade in the north of Ireland until it was overtaken by Belfast in the 1700s.  Carrickfergus is the most excavated town in Northern Ireland and the finds provide a remarkable glimpse of life in medieval and later times.  The main exhibition gallery features material from National Museums Northern Ireland, the Environment and Heritage Service, the Royal Armouries and the British Museum, as well as Carrickfergus Borough Council’s own collection.  The address is 11 Antrim Street and is within walking distance of the town's car parks.  The centre is open 10am to 6 pm from April to October on Mondays to Saturdays while the hours are 1 pm to 5 pm on Sundays.  Admission is free. 

Carrickfergus Promenade - Carrickfergus is also a beautiful place for a walk along the promenade.  You can watch the passenger ferries as they navigate the Lough to the Irish Sea and also use your binoculars to count the number of sailboats! 

Patterson's Spade Mill - on your way either to Carrickfergus or maybe back to Belfast for the evening, you could stop by Patterson's Spade Mill for a tour of Ireland's only surviving water-driven spade mill.  Visitors can watch as red hot billets of steel are removed from the forge and fashioned into spades using the mill’s massive trip hammer.  The address is 751 Antrim Road, Templepatrick, Antrim with admission of £4.50 per adult, £2.60 per child or £11.60 for families.