Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones film location, Pyke Castle of House Greyjoy, HBO

Practising with my drone. December winter sun too low. will try again in the future. Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones film location. The iconic ruin of Dunluce Castle bears witness to a long and tumultuous history. First built on the dramatic coastal cliffs of north County Antrim by the MacQuillan family around 1500, the earliest written record of the castle was in 1513. It was seized by the ambitious MacDonnell clan in the 1550s, who set about stamping their mark on the castle under the leadership of the famous warrior chieftain Sorely Boy MacDonnell during an era of violence, intrigue and rebellion. In the 17th century Dunluce was the seat of the earls of Antrim and saw the establishment of a small town in 1608. Visitors can explore the findings of archaeological digs within the cobbled streets and stone merchants’ houses of the long-abandoned Dunluce Town. The dramatic history of Dunluce is matched by tales of a banshee and how the castle kitchens fell into the sea one stormy night in 1639. Exterior shots of Dunluce Castle were used in Game of Thrones for Pyke Castle of House Greyjoy on Pyke Island. But that’s not the only exciting thing about this 16th-century structure. It has many other claims to fame and tales from within its walls. Featuring on the HBO TV series wasn’t the first time that Dunluce Castle was shown to the world. In the early 70s, it also featured on the inner sleeve of the Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy. It was also the one-time home of the famous Scottish warrior chieftain Sorely Boy MacDonnell. It was during Sorely’s reign that the Girona, a vessel from the Spanish Armada, was caught in a storm and wrecked on nearby rocks. The canons were taken from the ship and installed as the castle’s security system. A local legend also claims that at one time, due to cliff beneath the castle eroding, the castle’s kitchen suddenly plummeted into the sea. The only member of staff left alive was the kitchen boy. He was sitting on a stool in the inside corner of the room when it fell.