Armoy, County Antrim
| Armoy | |
|---|---|
 St Patrick's Church and the round tower |
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 Armoy
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| Armoy shown within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,122 (2013 Estimate) |
| Irish grid reference | D067328 |
| • Belfast | 49 mi (79 km) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BALLYMONEY |
| Postcode district | BT53 |
| Dialling code | 028, +44 28 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Armoy (from Irish: Oirthear Maí) is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is 5.5 miles (9 km) southwest of Ballycastle and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Ballymoney. According to an estimate in 2013 by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency it had a population of 1,122. The village is on the River Bush between two of the nine Glens of Antrim; Glenshesk and Glentaisie. The Armoy area also includes half of Knocklayd mountain which lies to the northeast of the village.
It is one of the bigger villages in the Moyle area and has two primary schools, shops, a post office, public houses and other community facilities. The village was dominated by public sector housing for many years, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a new housing development was built. Many more new developments have been built since then.
The River Bush once flowed directly north to the sea at Ballycastle. However, after the last glacial event in Ulster deposited the Armoy Moraine (on which the church and round tower sit), the river was deflected to the west and it now reaches the sea through Bushmills and Portballantrae.
A monastic settlement which was founded by Saint Patrick in the 5th Century formerly sat to the northeast of the present day village, in the area of what is now St. Patrick's Parish Church. The site was excavated recently and archaeologists uncovered artifacts which date the location to the 6th century. The actual centre of the monastic settlement has yet to be determined, though many scholars believe it may be higher up the slope behind the graveyard on unexcavated ground.
The monastic settlement is said to be built on land given to Patrick by Fergus Mor MacEarca who would succeed his father to become the first Christian king in Ireland. Saint Olcán was a follower of Patrick who came from the area, and was baptised at Dunseverick by Patrick and later became Bishop of Armoy. One of the local primary schools still carries his name.
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