Kinbane Castle occupies a dramatic limestone headland between Ballycastle and Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the name deriving from Irish meaning 'white head'. Built in 1547 by Colla MacDonnell, a Scottish chieftain of the powerful MacDonnell clan, the two-storey fortress endured English sieges in the 1550s. The castle later passed to Sorley Boy MacDonnell and subsequently the MacAlisters, who held it until the 18th century. Though largely ruined, Kinbane remains a State Care Historic Monument with protected surrounding landscape. Visitors today descend a steep clifftop stairway to reach the windswept site, rewarded with stunning coastal views over the water to Rathlin Island, making it a peaceful location steeped in Scottish-Irish heritage.
