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News
Jun 10 2026
To begin our second full week here in Northern Ireland, we set out for Dunluce Castle on a rainy Monday morning. Our journey began with our daily walk to Ballycastle to catch the bus.
From there, our Translink bus drove the narrow and winding coastal roads to the castle, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the light drizzle. Fortified, we then set out to explore the site, an abandoned medieval fortress perched on the picturesque yet sheer cliff face of Northern Ireland’s coast.
The ruins of Dunluce castle (Photo credit: Julia Koch)
Many in our class (myself included) were excited to learn that these ruins were the inspiration for Cair Paravel, the castle in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.
Dunluce Castle was rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries, so we were able to observe a variety of architectural styles and building materials. When looking out of the castle’s windows to the crashing waves below, it was easy to picture the Spanish Armada ship, La Girona, sinking during a violent storm in 1588. The wreck lies below in the waters nearby.
Due to its precarious position on the cliff face, the fortress was not immune to these storms, either. In 1639, the entire kitchen wing collapsed into the churning waters in a violent squall.
After the rainy beginning to our day, we said goodbye to the castle and caught the bus back to Ballycastle, where we found calmer winds and the sun shining. We finished off our day with a trip to Maud’s, where we treated ourselves to slushies and ice cream. –Julia Koch
A break in the rain for a group photo at Dunluce Castle (Photo credit: Kyle Schlabach)
This is my favorite trip so far. I’ve long had a fascination for history and old architecture, so for me, Dunluce Castle was a dream. My group wandered about the site, which was under construction in spots.
We found all sorts of tiny details that were modern, but funny additions. In the kitchen area, for example, when we looked into the stove, we saw a small wooden sign with a great deal of weathering that said “oven.”
The remains of an oven on the grounds of Dunluce (Photo credit: Atty Montague)
The overall landscape was beautiful. I can completely understand why the castle was built there, both for protection and for the view—every angle of every window was completely enchanting. There are rocky cliff sides with natural arches, gentle hills, and shorelines in shades of teal and gray blue.
The rocky cliffs of Dunluce (Photo credit: Atty Montague)
Every turn I took made me want to stay and explore longer, even after I had thoroughly scouted every inch during our time there. It was fascinating to see history that stands, slowly decaying as time goes on. –Atty Montague
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