Ballygalley

Ballygalley or Ballygally (from Irish: Baile Geithligh, meaning "Geithleach's townland") is a village and holiday resort in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately 3 miles north of Larne. It is also a townland of 769 acres and is situated in the civil parish of Carncastle and the historic barony of Glenarm Upper. It had a population of 714 in the 2001 Census. It is located within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.

In the 1990s archaeological excavations were carried out in Ballygally and remains of a number of Neolithic houses on low ground about 500m from the shore of Ballygally Bay were discovered. Ballygalley Neolithic site produced a large number of finds, including pottery, worked flints and stone axes and is an important Neolithic site.

Notable features include the distinct headland of Ballygally Head, O'Haloran's Castle, The White Bear Rock, a lovely sandy beach, Ballygally Castle and Ballygally Hall, which opened in 2011.

Ballygally beach is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike especially during the summer months.

Ballygally Castle, reputed to be the oldest occupied building in Ireland, has a reputation for being haunted. It sits in the middle of the village at the junction with the road to Cairncastle and contains a 4-star hotel with renovated bar and restaurant. The castle was built around 1625 for James Shaw of Greenock and is one of Ireland’s best-preserved Scottish baronial style plantation houses.

The bawn and walled garden are registered as Scheduled Historic Monuments at grid ref: D3725 0781.

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