Carrickfergus (redirected from Carrickfergus (town))

Carrickfergus (kăr'ĭkfûr`gəs), town (1991 pop. 19,100) and district, E Northern Ireland, on the shore of Belfast Lough. A minor fishing port, the town has die-casting, distribution, electronics, and energy and mineral industries. A castle and church built in the 12th cent. still stand. John Paul Jones fought (1778) a victorious battle offshore from Carrickfergus. The area is a center for leisure boating and is known for its scenic camping and hiking.

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Carrickfergus

District (pop., 2001: 37,659), northeastern Northern Ireland. Established in 1974, it lies on Belfast Lough. The name, meaning “rock of Fergus,” commemorates King Fergus, shipwrecked off the coast c. AD 320. Carrickfergus town (pop., 1991: 22,786) is the district seat. Carrickfergus Castle, a relic of the Norman period, sits on a crag above the town; it was a refuge for the Protestants of Antrim in the English Civil Wars.

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Carrickfergus

1. a town in E Northern Ireland, in Carrickfergus district, Co. Antrim; historic settlement of Scottish Protestants on Belfast Lough; Norman castle. Pop.: 27 201 (2001)

2. a district of E Northern Ireland, in Co. Antrim. Pop.: 37 659 (2001). Area: 83 sq. km (32 sq. miles)