The Story of the Ballycastle Name

Ballycastle takes its name from the Irish Baile an Chaisleáin, meaning “town of the castle.” The name is a straightforward reference to the castle that once stood in the area, but the story behind the town is anything but ordinary.

Ballycastle lies on the northeastern coast of Antrim, where the coast of Ireland meets the narrow channel separating Rathlin Island from the mainland. For centuries, its position made it an important meeting place for trade and travel along the coast. The town developed around the old castle and became a market and port for the surrounding countryside.

The area has much older roots, however. Nearby Bonamargy Friary, founded in the fifteenth century by the Franciscan order, became one of the most important religious sites in the north of Ireland. The friary is particularly associated with the MacDonnells of Antrim, whose influence shaped much of the surrounding region.

Ballycastle also became famous for its Lammas Fair, one of Ireland's oldest traditional fairs. Held each year around the end of August, the fair brought farmers, traders and families together for generations. The tradition survives today, and the fair remains one of the defining features of the town's identity.

The sea has always been central to Ballycastle's story. Its harbor connects the town with Rathlin Island, while the surrounding coastline leads toward some of the most dramatic landscapes in Ireland. From Ballycastle, the visitor can look north toward Scotland on a clear day—a reminder of just how connected this corner of Ireland has always been to the wider Irish Sea world.

Today, Ballycastle is perhaps best known as a gateway to the Causeway Coast and the Glens. But beneath the modern visitor town lies a much older story: a castle, a friary, an ancient fair, powerful Gaelic families, and a community shaped by the sea.