What is recorded here

Killyleagh Castle has stood in County Down since 1180, when Sir John de Courcy built fortifications to guard seized lands around Strangford Lough. The Hamilton family has owned it since the early 17th century, surviving Cromwell’s gunboats, a poisoned earl, and a widow who destroyed a will to keep the estate whole. Today Gawn Rowan Hamilton still lives there, hosting concerts where Van Morrison and Glen Hansard have played, while the gate lodges offer holiday rooms beside the old courtyard walls.

Killyleagh Castle is recorded as a castle in County Down. Its open map record supplies this location and any linked names or public references.

Killyleagh Castle was built by the Stewart (or Steuart) family in the 17th century and later held by the MacNeills, who were prominent local landowners. It is remembered as a historic seat of the MacNeill dynasty and as a symbol of the region's early colonial and aristocratic heritage in County Down.