Carrickfergus Town Walls

The walls of Carrickfergus may date from 1611, shortly after Arthur Chichester was granted the land in that area. They were about 3m thick at the base and tapered to less than 2m thick at the top. They had seven bastions and four gates. Chichester built his mansion, Joymount, on the site of the old Franciscan friary, just inside the NE corner of the walls. By the beginning of the following century the walls had become dilapidated and were being robbed for building materials. Today all of the south and west sections have disappeared. The NE bastion remains, as does much of the north wall. This includes the North Gate which was rebuilt in 1912 to commemorate the visit to Carrickfergus by King George V. Excavation has uncovered part of the west wall, including the lower courses of the West Gate, or Irish Gate. The site of the south wall is now covered by Marine Highway.