Ballycastle

Ballycastle encompasses a fine Georgian seaside resort town and several unique coastal attractions. It serves as the main vacation spot for people from the entire province. The town forms the shape of an hourglass, and its streets are lines with quaint shops and pubs.

The Oul Lannas Fair has been a yearly attraction, held on the last Monday and Tuesday in August since 1606. It has evolved into a modern version of the ancient Celtic harvest festival of Lughnasa (August). It features sheep, wool, all sorts of shopping, music, dancing, street entertainers, and food, and traditional snacks including “dulse, or sun dried seaweed and yellow man, or rock hard yellow toffee.

Off the coast, you can see Rathlin Island, where Robert the Bruce, the Scottish King, took refuge in a cave beneath the east lighthouse. It is said that hours of hiding there, watching a spider fashion its web, inspired him to fight against the English with renewed vigor.

Also off the coast of Ballycastle, you can see the rope bridge of Carrick-a –Rede, which bridges the gap between the mainland and the Island of Carrick-a-Rede, a popular spot for local fisherman. The island is in the path of migrating salmon and so given the name “rock in the road”, as it obstructed their aim at the Bush and Bann Rivers. Salmon fisherman have hung the rope bridge, which visitors say it takes a considerable amount of nerve to cross, every season for the past 150 years, and removed it after the fishing season ends. It is open for public use.

Nearby quarries provide access to beautiful scenic views and unique bird watching opportunities – kittiwakes, cormorants, guillemots, fulmars, and razorbills can be observed.