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Ballintoy
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Ballintoy (from Irish Baile an Tuaigh 'the northern townland'ⓘ) is a small village, townland (of 274 acres)[1] and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is alongside the B15 coast road, 28 km (17 mi) north-east of Coleraine, 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Ballycastle and between it and Bushmills. It is in the historic barony of Cary.[1] The village lies about one kilometre from Ballintoy Harbour, a small fishing harbour at the end of a very small, narrow, steep road down Knocksaughey hill which passes by the entrance to Larrybane and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The harbour is host to a dawn service on Easter Sunday each year.
Key Information
Amenities
[edit]Ballintoy's population was recorded at 140 people in the 2021 census.[2]
The village has commercial and social facilities including tourist accommodation, restaurants, several small shops, and two churches. The distinctive white Ballintoy Parish Church sits on the hill above the harbour. The village was originally built around a single street separating the inland pastures from the strip fields running towards the sea. Two of the village's oldest hotels and pubs, the Carrick-A-Rede Hotel and the Fullerton Arms, still stand on this street. The village is in the area covered by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
In 2011, some residents objected to the erection of bilingual street signs in English and Irish in a petition sent to Moyle District Council after an application was requested for an English/Irish sign at Harbour Road opposite the local Church of Ireland church.[3]
Game of Thrones
[edit]The village was used for the fictional town of Lordsport in the Isle of Pyke during the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones.[4] Filming took place during August 2011.[5]

Places of interest
[edit]- Bendhu House is a listed building on the road to the harbour and was built by the artist Newton Penprase.[6]
- Dunseverick Castle lies in ruins near the village, and is a short drive from the Giant's Causeway.
- Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is just outside the village. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. It is thought salmon fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 300 years. The bridge spans 20 m (66 ft) and is 30 m (98 ft) above the rocks below.
- Sheep Island, County Antrim is off the north coast.
- Ballintoy Parish Church was built in 1813 and incorporates the tower of the older church.
Civil parish of Ballintoy
[edit]The civil parish contains the following townlands:[1][7]
- Araboy
- Artimacorkick
- Ballinlea Lower
- Ballinlea Upper
- Ballintoy
- Ballintoy Demesne
- Ballynastraid
- Broughgammon
- Carnlelis
- Carrowcroey
- Clegnagh
- Cloghcorr
- Coolmaghra
- Craig
- Craigalappan
- Craiganee
- Croaghbeg
- Croaghmore
- Curramoney
- Currysheskin
- Drumnagee
- Drumnagessan
- Glenstaghey
- Island Macallan
- Kilmahamogue
- Knocknagarvan
- Knocksoghey
- Lagavara
- Lemnagh Beg
- Lemnagh More
- Lisbellanagroagh Beg
- Lisbellanagroagh More
- Magheraboy
- Magheracashel
- Maghernahar
- Prolusk
- Templastragh
- Toberkeagh
- White Park
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Ballintoy". IreAtlas Townlands Database. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Ballintoy – in Causeway Coast and Glens (Northern Ireland) – Hamlet". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Members of church say 'no' to Irish nameplate". Belfast Telegraph. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Day 22: Filming at Ballintoy Harbour". WinterIsComing.net. 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Ballintoy blockbuster! World-wide smash 'Game of Thrones' will use local harbour". Ballymoney Times. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Artist Newton Penprase dies". Belfast Telegraph. 11 January 1978. p. 2. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Ballintoy". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
External links
[edit]Ballintoy
View on GrokipediaGeography and Environment
Location and Physical Features
Ballintoy is a small coastal village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, positioned at approximately 55°14′N 6°22′W along the B15 coast road. It lies 28 km northeast of Coleraine, 8 km west of Ballycastle, and between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway area on the north Antrim coast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.[10][11][3] The village's physical landscape centers on a natural fishing harbour sheltered by basalt cliffs and offshore rocky islands called the Parks, accessed via a steep, winding road descending Knocksaughey Hill from the cliff-top village, which is 1 km inland. The harbour occupies a raised beach platform, with surrounding terrain featuring rugged cliffs up to 50 m elevation, flat raised shore terraces at 4-6 m above mean high water, and embayments like Boheeshane Bay.[3][11][12] Geologically, the area displays Cretaceous chalk cliffs faulted and overlain by Tertiary Antrim Lava Group basalts, forming sea stacks, arches, caves, and headlands such as Bendoo Plug; the coastline trends WNW-ESE with metamorphosed chalk fronted by terraces and basalt intrusions. This combination yields a dramatic, rocky shoreline with pools, stacks, and limited sandy stretches, integral to the Causeway Coast's basalt-chalk geology.[11][11]
Coastal Ecology and Conservation
The coastal ecology of Ballintoy encompasses rocky shores, dunes, and chalk cliffs that support specialized flora adapted to saline, windy conditions, including salt-tolerant grasses and herbs thriving amid the harsh maritime climate.[13] These habitats form part of the broader North Antrim chalk coastline, recognized for its raised coastal features and geological significance.[11] Intertidal rock pools harbor diverse marine invertebrates such as shellfish, sea anemones, shrimps, and crabs, alongside seaweeds that provide microhabitats for small crustaceans.[14] Offshore waters adjacent to Ballintoy Harbour sustain marine mammals including seals, dolphins, and seasonal basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), with seabirds nesting on nearby cliffs and islands like Sheep Island, an uninhabited site approximately 1 km offshore.[13] [15] The River Bush estuary, proximal to Ballintoy, supports migratory fish such as salmon (Salmo salar) and sea trout (Salmo trutta), contributing to the area's freshwater-marine interface biodiversity.[16] Conservation in Ballintoy falls under the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), designated to protect its 18 miles of coastal landscapes, including Ballintoy's sections, through habitat management and public engagement initiatives.[17] The AONB's 2020-2025 Action Plan, developed by the Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust, prioritizes biodiversity preservation amid tourism pressures, with measures like habitat monitoring and erosion control.[18] Nearby marine conservation zones safeguard unique subtidal habitats, while the National Trust undertakes site-specific efforts, such as recording rare species and maintaining access paths to minimize ecological disturbance.[19] [20] These designations extend to potential Special Protection Areas covering North Antrim Coast sites for avian species.[17]History
Early Settlement and Development
Archaeological evidence indicates human activity in the Ballintoy area during the Neolithic period, with the Ballintoy Demesne Passage Tomb—also known as the Druid's Stone or Mount Druid—representing a well-preserved chambered grave dating to approximately 3000 BCE.[21] This passage tomb, situated atop a knoll with commanding views, features a sunken chamber and capstone, suggesting the region attracted early communities for burial and possibly ceremonial purposes, though no associated settlements have been definitively identified.[22] Nearby findings of stone tools and farming implements further imply prehistoric exploitation of the fertile coastal land.[13] The presence of an early Christian site at Templastragh points to continued occupation into the medieval era. The ruins of Templastragh Church, likely a pre-Reformation foundation serving as a chapel of ease, include a carved stone in the gable wall predating the 16th-century structure and possibly originating from pre-Christian times.[23] Local tradition associates the site with early ecclesiastical activity, including unverified claims of St. Patrick ordaining Bishop Olcan there, but the enduring burial ground underscores its role in community religious life prior to more formalized parishes.[24] Settlement expanded significantly in the early modern period through Scottish migration to the Antrim coast. The Stewart family, originally from Bute, established themselves in the region by the late 16th century, with traditions placing their initial coastal settlement at Dunseverick around 1560 before relocation toward Ballintoy.[25] By 1630, Ballintoy Castle served as their residence, anchoring Protestant settlement amid Gaelic territories. The area's first Church of Ireland chapel, constructed in the early 17th century as an adjunct to the castle, reflects this development, with James Blare recorded as incumbent by 1635.[23] Rebuilt in 1663 and elevated to full parish status, the church provided refuge for settlers during the 1641 Irish Rebellion, highlighting the fragile consolidation of these communities until relief arrived in 1642.[23] The name Ballintoy, from the Irish Baile an Tuaigh ("northern townland"), predates this era but aligns with the town's emergence as a clustered settlement around defensive and ecclesiastical foci.[13]19th and 20th Century Changes
During the 19th century, Ballintoy's harbor served primarily as an export point for locally quarried limestone and sett stones, which were transported to the quayside via a rudimentary rail track, supporting the village's role in regional stone trade and lime production evidenced by surviving kiln remnants.[26][27] The parish's Church of Ireland edifice, a key community structure, was reconstructed in 1813 on an elevated site overlooking the coast, replacing earlier medieval foundations and reflecting post-Union ecclesiastical consolidation in rural Antrim.[28] According to Samuel Lewis's 1837 topographical survey, the civil parish then housed 4,061 inhabitants across its townlands, with the village proper numbering just 278 residents, indicative of a dispersed agrarian populace reliant on fishing, small-scale farming, and coastal extraction amid broader Irish rural stagnation following the Napoleonic Wars.[29] Into the early 20th century, quarrying persisted at sites like Larrybane, where human modifications to the coastline—including scarps, terraces, and artificial beaches—blended with natural basalt formations, though industrial activity waned as steam shipping and rail networks bypassed remote harbors like Ballintoy's.[11] Fishing remained a staple, with locals selling catches near the disused lime kilns, but the village experienced depopulation trends common to Ulster's coastal parishes, exacerbated by emigration and the shift from subsistence agriculture to urban opportunities in Belfast.[26] A notable architectural eccentricity emerged with Bendhu House, an unconventional cliffside dwelling engineered by artist Newton Penprase between 1936 and 1952 using salvaged materials, symbolizing individualistic responses to interwar rural isolation.[30] By mid-century, preliminary tourism stirred as the harbor's scenic isolation drew visitors to nearby attractions like the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, presaging Ballintoy's later media-fueled prominence, while traditional economies contracted amid post-war modernization that favored larger ports.[6] Infrastructure upgrades were minimal, preserving the village's pre-industrial character against broader infrastructural neglect in Northern Ireland's periphery.[11]Demographics and Community
Population Statistics
As of the 2021 Census, the population of Ballintoy settlement was 140 residents.[4] This figure reflects a decrease from 165 residents recorded in the 2011 Census.[31] The settlement spans an area of 0.09 square kilometers, yielding a population density of 1,556 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2021.[4] This high density is attributable to the compact urban footprint of the village core amid surrounding rural townlands in the broader Ballintoy civil parish, which encompasses additional sparsely populated areas. Annual population change has averaged -0.69% in recent years, consistent with rural depopulation trends in coastal Northern Ireland locales.[4]| Census Year | Population | Change from Previous Census |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 165 | - |
| 2021 | 140 | -15 (-9.1%) |
