Dundrum Castle
Dundrum Castle is a ruined Norman enclosure castle near the village of Dundrum in County Down, Northern Ireland, spectacularly situated on a hilltop above the village and Dundrum Bay with views toward the Mountains of Mourne and across Dundrum Inlet. The castle was built by John de Courcy, the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered east Ulster in the 1170s, and was subsequently one of the most important royal castles in Ulster throughout the medieval period. The circular keep and concentric enclosure represent the most advanced military architecture of the thirteenth century, and the quality of the surviving stonework reflects the castle's status as a major royal fortress. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and is freely accessible, with the hilltop position providing exceptional views over the bay and the Mourne Mountains.