Northern Ireland
Belfast Castle Ireland
Belfast Castle Ireland
Belfast Castle, perched on Cave Hill, is a Victorian-era mansion (built 1867-1870) offering panoramic city views of Belfast and the Lough, beautiful gardens (with a fun “9 Cat” hunt), walking trails, a playground, a cafe, restaurant, and event spaces for weddings & meetings.
Whilst it is also a grand structure, it functions more as a historic house and visitor attraction than a medieval fortress, providing free access to its parkland and some interior rooms for a mix of nature, history, and family fun.
The Cave Hill dominates the skyline on the northern edge of Belfast. It stretches from Hazelwood in the north to Carr’s Glen in the south. There are many signs of early settlers within the Cave Hill area, dating back to the Stone Age and Bronze Age as well as early Christian times.
5 Facts Before You Visit Belfast Castle in Ireland
- The first castle was Norman (12th Century); a later one (1611) burned down, leading to today’s Castle Place (1870).
- The castle’s style of architecture is Victorian Scots Baronial, inspired by Balmoral Castle and featuring sandstone walls and turrets.
- A ‘family fun’ game to be played upon ascending the hill is finding nine cat sculptures (topiaries, mosaics) hidden in the gardens.
- The O’Neill family of Clandeboye maintained Belfast Castle as one of their main residences throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
- While there are three main marked official trails, visitors can begin walks from Belfast Castle, Belfast Zoo, Upper Cavehill Road, or Upper Hightown Road.
“Its weathered basalt peaks comfort me, maybe because the doings of the humans who live below are a mere blip on its history”.
Cave Hill, Belfast
Belfast Castle, Antrim
Hill Top View
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