The king’s body is said to have washed ashore and been buried somewhere in nearby Monkstown by the monks. During a heavy storm, it is said that Fergus’s ship was wrecked on a volcanic dyke by the lough shore, which became loosely known as “Carraig Fhearghais” – the Rock of Fergus – providing the area with a new name. The well was quite familiar to pilgrims and would undoubtedly have been connected to monastic activity in the area during the 10th and 11th centuries, about which very little is known. He is said to have returned to Ulster in search of an ancient healing well to cure his leprosy – this well could be the one which still exists underneath the castle keep or possibly what would become St Brigit’s (St Bride’s) Well which is located north of the town centre. The story is often told that Fergus left Ulster around this time to forge a kingdom in Scotland. In popular legend, Carrickfergus claims its roots back to the late 5th and early 6th centuries CE, and its alleged namesake King Fergus Mór mac Eirc, an Irish king of Dál Riata. The application of this name to Carrickfergus was first recorded by 18th century historian Charles O’Conor in his map of Ireland, however it has been suggested that O’Conor made an error in attributing the name to Carrickfergus when it was in fact supposed to be applied to Dunseverick ( Dún Sobhairce), a hamlet on the north coast. The area which is now Carrickfergus, or perhaps just the rock that the castle sits upon, was alleged to have originally been known as Dunsobarky or Dun-Sobairchia (translates roughly as “strong rock” – Dun signifying an insulated rock and Sobarky meaning “powerful” or “strong”). It is the oldest town in County Antrim and one of the oldest in Northern Ireland. The town is twinned with the US cities of Portsmouth NH, Jackson MI, Anderson SC and Danville KY, as well as the Polish city of Ruda Śląska. It is located within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area – which was formed in 2015 from the merging of Carrickfergus, Larne and Ballymena borough councils – and is part of the Belfast Metropolitan Area, or “Greater Belfast”. It is located 11 miles north-east of the Northern Irish capital of Belfast, and has a population of some 27,000+ people. Carrickfergus – or simply ‘ Carrick‘ – is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
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