Kinbane Castle

Kinbane Castle, also known as White Head Castle, is a ruined fortification situated on a dramatic limestone headland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Located between the towns of Ballycastle and Ballintoy within the townland of Cregganboy, the site takes its name from the Irish phrase for "white head," describing the pale rock of the promontory. The castle offers sweeping views of Rathlin Island and the nearby Dunagregor Iron Age fort. Today, it stands as a State Care Historic Monument managed by heritage authorities, though the structure itself is largely destroyed and exists only as a ruin.

The original two-storey tower house was constructed in 1547 by Colla MacDonnell. Its early history was marked by conflict, specifically during the 1550s when English forces under Sir James Croft besieged, damaged, and partially destroyed the building before it was subsequently rebuilt. Colla MacDonnell died at the castle in 1558, passing ownership to his son Gillaspick. The site is steeped in local legend, particularly regarding a hollow below the walls known as Lag na Sassenach, or the Hollow of the English. Tradition alleges that a troop of English soldiers was surrounded and killed in this depression during a sixteenth-century siege attempt.

Ownership of the property later shifted when Colla's brother, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, acquired the castle through a trade with his nephew. In recognition of their steadfast loyalty, Sorley Boy eventually granted the estate to the Clan MacAlister. The descendants of the MacAlisters of Kenbane retained possession of the castle for several centuries, holding the site until the eighteenth century. While no longer inhabited or intact, Kinbane Castle remains a significant historical landmark that illustrates the turbulent clan warfare and strategic coastal defense efforts of sixteenth-century Ulster.