Ballygalley
| Ballygalley | |
| County Antrim | |
|---|---|
 Ballygally beach and Ballygally Head | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | D373074 |
| Location: | 54°53’45"N, 5°51’36"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Mid & East Antrim |
Ballygalley or Ballygally is a village and holiday resort on the coast of County Antrim, some three miles north of Larne. It is also a townland of 769 acres, in the barony of Glenarm Upper. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 714.
The name of the village is from the Irish Baile Geithligh, meaning "Geithleach's townland".
Archaeology
In the 1990s archaeological excavations were carried out in Ballygally and remains of a number of Neolithic houses on low ground about 500 yards 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.[1]
About the village
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, stands in the middle of the village, at the junction with the road to Carncastle. (Inevitably, it has attracted ghost stories.) The castle 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 (D37250781) are registered as Scheduled Historic Monuments.
Ballygally Hall is a two-storey building (funded by taxpayers’ money) opened in 2011 and includes a Spar shop with some Post Office facilities at ground level and a Community Hall on the first floor. The shop and restaurant, which previously existed on this site, were demolished in 2008, The Community Hall has weekly events and social activities throughout the year.
Cairndhu Golf Course, on top of Ballygally Head, overlooks the village and Carnfunnock Country Park (which offers a cafe, walled garden, caravan park and campsite, maze, children's playground, bouncy castle, mini-train rides, bungee runs, mini-golf, nature walks and lots more family fun) is nearby.
Geology
Ballygally Head is a volcanic plug, the ancient cooled remains of the pipe of a volcano.[2]
Wedges of agglomerate have been found around Ballygally Head, showing that there were several stages of eruption, allowing tuff to form before the vent was blown out and once more filled with magma.[2] There are tall columns in places around Ballygally Head, similar to the basalt columns found at the Giant's Causeway, but these are dolerite, a rock similar to basalt but which cooled more slowly, held inside the volcano vent, and so had time to grow larger crystals.[3]
Scawt Hill, another volcanic plug, three miles west of Ballygally, is an internationally important site for geology due to the rare minerals found there. It is a protected Area of Special Scientific Interest.
Outside links
- Ballygally Community Development Association
- Beach NI Details on Ballygally Beach
- Ballygally Castle Hotel
- Ballygally Holiday Apartments
- Halfway House Hotel
- Matties Meeting House
- Cairndhu Golf Club
References
- ↑ O'Sullivan, Aidan & Breen, Colin (2007). Maritime Ireland. An Archaeology of Coastal Communities. Stroud: Tempus. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-7524-2509-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wilson, H E et al (1986) Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, HMSO
- ↑ Geography in Action, Dolerite, Northern Ireland