Antiquarian Notes. 41 



build the landward part of Dunluce, as nine of their servants 

 went down with the ruins of the kitchen into the sea in that 

 year. Lord Antrim was imprisoned as a Royalist in 1642 by 

 General Munro, who cessed the estates for the support of hiniself 

 and troops, in the same way as he had done in Belfast. It was 

 not till 1666 that the Marquis regained possession by a new 

 patent granted through King Charles II. His first wife died in 

 1649, and he was married to Rose O'Neill in 1653, who decorated, 

 as tradition affirms, the ceiling of the old church at Dunluce 

 with the various constellations in gold on a blue ground. On 

 his return to the castle, the Marquis set about building a more 

 modern residence at Ballymagarry, where the walled-in gardens 

 already existed. As the country was now settled, he followed 

 the example of Lord Arthur Chichester at Joy mount, Carrick- 

 fergus, and erected a commodious mansion, without regard to 

 fortification. In 1671, Oliver Plunket, Roman Catholic Arch- 

 bishop of Armagh, wrote : — "I was with him for three days at 

 his house at Dunluce ; it is a noble building. The palace is 

 perched on a high rock, which is lashed on every side by the 

 sea." (Hill's " MacDonnelVs of Antrim^) When the Marquis 

 died at Ballymagarry, in 1683, he had another house at 

 Glenarm, where the family afterwards spent more of their time, 

 making the former a sort of summer residence. In 1750 a local 

 paper contained this item of news: — "Last week the house of 

 Ballymagarry, one of the fine seats of the Right Hon. the Earl 

 of Antrim, was burnt to the ground by the carelessness of 

 servants." The Ulster Miscellany, a very scarce work, printed 

 in 1753, probably in Belfast, contains the following poem, 

 entitled — 



" On the burning o/Ballimagarry House, the Seat of the 

 Right Hon. the Earl of Antrim. ^^ 



How is the antient feat destroy' d, 

 By heroes long, and long enjoy'd ! 

 How have the flames destroy' d the pile, 

 Where love and plenty chose to fmile. 

 Oh may the fabrick rise once more, 

 And flourish as in days of yore. 



