Ballycastle Town

Ballycastle

A traditional seaside town in the Moyle district, set against the Glens of Antrim, with views to Rathlin Island, Fair Head, and the Mull of Kintyre.

Ballycastle Art & Local Artists

The Children of Lir sculpture on the seafront tells one of Ireland's best-known legends — plus the restored farmstead at Limepark, near Armoy.

Ballycastle Beach

A Seaside Award beach backed by Fair Head and the golf course, running 1.2km from the marina to Pans Rock — safe swimming, RNLI lifeguards in July and August.

Ballycastle Forest

A forest walk on the side of Knocklayde mountain, with two entrances and views over the surrounding glens.

Ballycastle Marina

A 74-berth Blue Flag marina in Ballycastle's inner harbour, one of only two in Northern Ireland — the departure point for the Rathlin Island ferry.

Ballycastle Museum

A folk and social history museum in Ballycastle's 18th-century courthouse, with the Taise Banner from the first Feis na nGleann and Boyd-era artefacts.

Eating & Drinking in Ballycastle

Where to eat in Ballycastle — Anzac Bar (the town's top-rated restaurant), the Salthouse Hotel's two venues, Thyme & Co's award-winning wheaten bread, and more.

Holy Trinity Church

Built by Hugh Boyd at his own expense in 1752–56 — a Georgian church with a sundial on Ballycastle time and Boyd buried in the vault beneath.

Marconi's Cottage

Guglielmo Marconi carried out early radio transmission experiments to Rathlin Island from a cottage near Ballycastle in 1898 — now a private home.

Pans Rock

A basalt outcrop at Ballycastle Beach's eastern end, named for a 19th-century salt works — footbridge closed since storm damage in Jan 2025.

Sheep Island

A small uninhabited island off Ballintoy, protected for its cormorant colony — one of the largest in Ireland.

Shipwrecks off Ballycastle

Over a hundred wrecks lie in Ballycastle Bay and Rathlin Sound, including HMS Drake, torpedoed by a U-boat in 1917 — a popular site for divers.

The Ballycastle Railway

A narrow-gauge line that ran from 1880 to 1950, connecting Ballycastle to Ballymoney — sold for scrap money in 1924, then reprieved.

The Ould Lammas Fair

Ireland's oldest traditional fair, held in Ballycastle each August since a 1606 charter — famous for dulse and yellowman.

Watertop Farm

A family-friendly open farm five miles from Ballycastle, next to Ballypatrick Forest — pony trekking, boating, fishing, and animal paddocks.