Ballycastle Information

Dunseverick is a small but beautiful town land, the harbour is still in use with local fishermen and is always busy with the surrounding shoreline proving a pleasant place to stop have a picnic and short stroll. The castle is nestled of a large rock standing solitarily along the coast, there are facilities for picnics and you can join the coastal path that starts from the Giant’s Causeway passing through Dunseverick Castle, Dunseverick Harbour, Portbradden, Whitepark Bay and ending at Ballintoy Harbor. The path takes you past a majestic waterfall between the castle and harbour.
The harbour also has toilet facilities.

History

Saint Patrick is reputedly said to have visited here. Dunseverick was the pride of the Route Ó Catháin family, and indeed was of such importance that the ancient fifth road from Tara ends here. The Ó Catháin family held it from circa 1000 AD to circa 1320 AD… then regained it in the mid 1500s, when the MacDonnells and Ó Catháin clan ousted the McQuillians, from that time onward it was held by the Dunseverick Ó Catháin family. Last one to have the castle was Giolla Dubh Ó Catháin, who left it in 1657 to settle in the Craig/Lisbellanagroagh area. Post 1660 they use the anglicised name McCain/McKane.

Location

Dunseverick is about 7 miles west of Ballycastle. Take the B15 coast road to Ballintoy, about 1.5 miles past Ballintoy a sign post labelled for the Giant’s Causeway directs you right onto the B146 road, follow this road for a short distance and another sign post will direct you too Dunseverick Harbour, or continue on and you will find Dunseverick Castle on the right.

I have traveled the length and breadth of Ireland and I have never seen a more beautiful site than Murlough Bay. My wife and I visit it regularly just to get away, you can see why. That is east side of Fairhead, the other side of this breath-taking bay is equally as heart warming but unfortunately I don’t have an image yet. I can’t say anymore.

Location

Take the Cushendall Road from Ballycastle, when you reach Ballyvoy turn left at the pub and take second road on left and then first road on left.

The Giant’s Causeway, often referred to by the locals as the eighth wonder of the world and declared as Ireland’s first World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1986, lies about 15 miles from Ballycastle. It consists of a 40,000 of polygonal basalt columns, some 6ft in height, all side-by-side and is explored by 350,000 visitors yearly. Among the many theories and local legends, the most scientific reason for these formations is that about 55 million years ago during the early Tertiary period lava flowed from a nearby volcano and settled on the shore. The facts and legends are vividly presented in the Visitors Centre. The site is also home to over 200 varieties of plant species and birds such as the Chough and Peregrine Falcon.

Legend

It is called the Giant’s Causeway because of a legend about the quarrel between two giant’s called Finn Mac Cool and Benandonner. Benandonner is said to have built a causeway from Scotland to fight with Finn Mac Cool, Finn Mac Cool pretended to be a baby in a pram and his mother told Benandonner that the baby was Finn Mac Cool’s brother Finn Gal. When Benandonner saw how strong the baby was, he thought that Finn Mac Cool would be stronger than him and he ran back across the sea to Scotland, tearing up the causeway as he went. He left in such a hurry that he his boot came off and it is still here today. As well as the boot there are also shapes of a camel and pipe organs in the walls of the cliffs.

The small white line which is visible just above the shadow in the right most image is actually a footpath with spectacular views of the breath-taking coastline. Also along this path you will see Port na Spaniagh where Spanish Armada ‘galleass’ Girona foundered in October 1588 when Don Alonzo Martinez, Senor de la Casa de Levia de Rioja was on the run with 1300 men and all his valuables crammed on board. Only nine men survived and for almost four hundred years it’s treasure lay undiscovered eluding treasure hunters but in 1967 it was rediscovered and ducats, muskets, jeweled chains, golden cameos and even ink wells are now shown in the Ulster Museum.

The main 13 hectare site was given to The National Trust in 1961 when Sir McNaghten bequeathed in his will and in later years the NT purchased a further 57 hectares of the surrounding coastline although small parts are still owned by local people and the visitor centre and car park are owned by Moyle District Council.

I recently walked the full coastal path and realised there is a lot more to the site that the visitors’ centre if you would like to see more photos and info on this click here.

Facilities

Giant’s Causeway to Bushmills Railway Car Park £3 Seasonal Minibus with wheelchair access Braille Guide Tea Room Shop

Booked School visits welcome

Details

Owned by The National Trust 44a Causeway Road, Bushmills, County Antrim, BT57 8SU Tel: +44 28 2073 1159/1582

Fax: +44 28 2073 2963

Rising 600 feet above the sea, Fairhead is the most North-Easterly point of Ireland which creates Ballycastle bay. Follow Grey Man’s (Casan Fhir Liath) path which leads from Ballycastle beach along past Marconi’s Cottage and on to the base of Fairhead, it then climbs up the cliff side through a crevasse to reveal, a small lake known as Lough na Cranagh. Along the way you may see the wild goats that still roam the land. Lough na Cranagh, has a man-made island with a Crannog probably constructed in the early Christian period, the lough is also stocked with fish for the avid sportsman. There are two others Lough Doo and Lough Fadden which break up the barren landscape. All I can say is that the views are breath taking, speaking from personal experiences. You will require a sturdy pair of walking shoes and perhaps a raincoat, after all it is Irish weather!

The top is accessible by car so you can arrange to be collected or you can continue your trek around to Murlough Bay. The car park is within the Clachan, a small collection of cottages that years ago was inhabited by several families who would share and tend the surrounding land. The closer fields, known as the infields, were mainly cultivated for crops whereas the further off fields, known as the outfields, would have been used for either crops or grazing. The walk to Murlough Bay from the Clachan car park is a 1.5 hour round trek and dogs are not allowed due to farm animals. Be careful to follow the yellow markers and not to stray from the path as on occasion fog does come down and one could get dangerously lost.

If you’re a flower fancier you’ll appreciate the presence of the ‘Common Butterwort’ and ‘Sundew’ as well as heather and grass. Choughs and Peregrine Falcons are also a regular sight.