Shane's Castle is a ruined castle near Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, which was mostly destroyed in 1816 by fire. The castle is situated on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh, 2.7 miles from Randalstown. Built in 1345 by a member of the Clandeboy O'Neill dynasty, it was originally known as Edenduffcarrick, meaning "brow of black rock" (from the Irish éadán dúcharraige).[1] [2] It owes its present name to Shane McBrian McPhelim O'Neill, who ruled Lower Clandeboy between 1595 and 1617.[2]
Shanes' castle was originally built in 1345. A fire in 1816 left the castle in ruins though the family papers were saved.
The castle's 1816 destruction by fire was the subject of John Neal's poem "Castle Shane," published in The Portico the same year.[3] The ruins have been used in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones.[4]
Shane's Castle Railway was a gauge tourist railway in the grounds of the castle run by Raymond O'Neill, 4th Baron O'Neill. It was laid by NIR staff in their spare time using track with curves to CDRJC standards and opened on 30 April 1971. The line had three stations (Antrim, Millburn and Shane's Castle) and was 1miles long. It closed on 31 October 1995 due to declining visitor numbers[5] [6]
There had previously been a gauge line in the castle grounds between 1940 and 1956, which was used by the British Army for transport to and from a bomb dump.
| 1 | Tyrone | Steam | 0-4-0T | Peckett and Sons | 1026 of 1903 | Worked at British Aluminum Company, Larne. Afterwards run on a small railway in the back garden of William McCormick in Knock, Belfast, then passed to Lord O'Neill in 1969. | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | ||
| 2 | Rory | Diesal, 50 hp | 4wDM | Motor Rail | 11039 of 1956 | Worked at Charles Tennant, Dungiven. | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | ||
| 3 | Shane | Steam | 0-4-0WT | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. | 2265 of 1949 | Worked at Bord na Móna, Clonsast | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. | ||
| 4 (1st) | Nippy | Diesal | 4wDM | F.C. Hibberd & Co Ltd | 2014 of 1936 | Worked at Safety in Mines Research Establishment, Buxton. Acquired for Shane's Castle via Narrow Gauge Railway Society. | Passed to Irish Steam Preservation Society at Stradbally in 1986. | ||
| 4 (2nd) | Nippy | Diesal | Motor Rail | - of 1976 | Worked at Blue Circle Industries, Kilvington. Purchased for Shane's Castle in 1984. | ||||
| 5 | Nancy | Steam | 0-6-0T | Avonside Engine Company | 1547 of 1908 | Built in 1908 for Stanton Ironworks, Leicestershire. | Passed to Cavan and Leitrim Railway. | Restoration never completed at Shane's Castle | |
| 6 (1st) | Columbkille | Steam | 2-6-4T | Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. Ltd. | 830 of 1907 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Exhibited at Foyle Valley Railway. | ||
| 6 (2nd) | Diesal | Motor Rail | - of 1974 | Worked at Blue Circle Industries, Kilvington. Purchased for Shane's Castle in 1984. | Passed to Fintown Railway. | ||||
| 12 | Diesal (railcar) | 0-4-0+4wDMR | Walker Brothers (Wigan) at Dundalk, GNR(I) | - of 1934 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Run between 1990 and 2000 at Foyle Valley Railway. | |||
| 18 | Diesal (railcar) | 0-4-0+4wDMR | Walker Brothers (Wigan) at Dundalk, GNR(I) | - of 1940 | Originally of County Donegal Railways. Purchased in 1960 by the American Dr Cox but never left Ireland. Later acquired by North West of Ireland Railway Society and run between 1975 and 1978 at Londonderry Victoria Road. | Run between 1990 and 2000 at Foyle Valley Railway. Running at Fintown Railway since 2003. | |||
| 2w-2PMR | D Wickham & Co | 7441 of 1956 | |||||||
| n/a | Purpose-built open-sided carriages for the railway | Passed to Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway. Rebuilt as enclosed carriages. | |||||||
| n/a | Three tramcar trailers from Charleroi, Belgium. | Passed to Fintown Railway. |