Carrickfergus Origins
In the year 530AD, when the present capital city of the Province of Ulster, Belfast was just bogland and a few farmers cottages, the present town known as Carrickfergus was the capital. It was famous for it's healing wells, which still exist today, and was centred upon the rock called Dunsobarky which jutted out into the sea. In a crack in this rock was a freshwater well. It was so strange to find freshwater so close to the sea that the sages and learned folk of the day thought that it must have magical healing properties.
Soon a thriving business had developed with sick and injured folk coming to the area in search of a cure and the townland soon swelled with people willing to be paid to cater for their needs. Reminicent of Lourdes or Knock. In 530AD the king of Scotland King Fergus knowing about the well in the Dunsobarky rock set out for his native Ulster in search of a cure for his leprosy. As he reached nearer the shore the storm in the bay dashed his ship upon the rocks killing him and his crew. Some say his body was taken to Ballymanock, now Monkstown about 5 miles from here, and some say it was taken back to Iona to be buried. Since that fateful day the place has been known as the Rock of Fergus or Craig Fergus.
The medieval Scots historian Boece wrote the following account of King Fergus fateful journey.
To ship tha went, and syne set fra the schoir
the wind blew up, the langer aye the moir,
bayth tow and takill, festnit were all fast,
within short quhile tha all aghast
for Eolus so loud he blew his horne
on them all nycht long, or tother morne
in Yrland cost rycht drafflie did thame dryve,
in a graig he made them till arryve.
In all that schip eschapt nor ald nor young
bit perriest all with good Fergus their king,
after his name my storie tellis thus
that place sensyne is callit Craig-Fergus
