Shane swept Sorley's ambush away, took Clough and sent a force of cavalry to seize James of Dunnyveg's recently constructed Castle at Red Bay. They surprised the garrison of Red Bay Castle, set it alight and 'brake it down to the ground' before James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg’s host could land at the adjacent beach at Waterfoot. With the landing beaches at Waterfoot and by Cushendall now controlled by Shane's army, the first few hundreds of MacDonnells and their MacLean allies under James and Angus Angus MacDonnell were compelled to land further north. They landed at Ballycastle beach to await the locally raised MacDonnnell host that Sorley Boy now led over the Cary Mountains, traditionally by the old MacDonnell road, an early road that runs to the west of the modern Cushendun/Ballycastle road. Their plan was to await the arrival of their brother Alexander, the MacDonnell senechal of Cantyre, who was assembling a second host composed from late comers to James of Dunnyveg's hosting.