The castle and the tower
The green freestone that gives Greencastle its name was quarried on the spot in 1305, when Richard de Burgh, the Red Earl of Ulster, raised a fortress here to lock down the mouth of Lough Foyle and keep the O’Donnells and O’Dohertys of Inishowen in check. It didn’t stay his for long. Edward Bruce, brother of the Scottish king, took the castle in 1316, and over the next few centuries it passed through enough hands to end up as the low, broken walls you see today.
Be clear about what’s left before you make the trip: a stump of tower house and a run of curtain wall on a rocky rise above the harbour, free to walk at any time. This is a site for the setting and the sightlines across the water, not for grand medieval architecture. If you have twenty minutes, spend them at the round Martello tower a short walk along the shore. Built in 1801 against the threat of a French landing during the Napoleonic Wars, it stands intact, and the climb gives you the harbour, the Inishowen hills, and the Causeway Coast laid out on a clear day.
Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetarium
The museum sits in the old coastguard station on the harbour, and it’s the one indoor stop worth planning around. The collection runs to a 19th-century rocket cart used to fire lines out to ships in trouble, a traditional Fanad curragh, a wild-fowling punt with its swivel gun, and artefacts pulled from local wrecks, some of them linked to the Spanish Armada ships that came to grief along this coast in 1588. An adjoining planetarium runs shows on the night sky and navigation.
One catch: it opens seasonally and the hours shift, so ring ahead or check before you set out rather than turning up on spec.
The Lough Foyle ferry
From the same harbour, a seasonal car and passenger ferry crosses to Magilligan Point in County Derry in about 15 minutes. It’s more than a novelty. Taking the boat instead of driving round by the top of the lough saves roughly an hour and a half, and drops you straight onto the Causeway Coastal Route. The service runs in the warmer months, is weather-dependent, and stops for winter, so treat the timetable as provisional and check the day before.
Beaches and walks nearby
A shore walk runs from Greencastle south to Moville, with a shorter path heading north near the castle if you only want to stretch the legs. For sand, several strands are within a short drive:
- Kinnagoe Bay – a sheltered, tree-lined cove, the most protected of the lot on a windy day.
- Culdaff Beach – a broad golden strand about 20 minutes away.
- Five Finger Strand – backed by some of the highest dunes in the country.
- Pollan Strand – a long, open stretch near Ballyliffin.
Practical information
- Admission: The castle ruins and the Martello tower are free. The museum charges an entry fee; check its seasonal schedule.
- Parking: A public car park by the harbour serves the castle, museum and ferry.
- Facilities: Toilets, a small café and a shop are near the harbour front.
- Getting there: The village is signposted from the main Inishowen coast roads; the castle and car park are marked once you reach it.
Give the whole thing half a day: the tower for the view, the museum for a wet hour, and the ferry across to Magilligan if you’re carrying on up the Antrim coast.