Ballycastle

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This article is about Ballycastle, County Antrim. There is also a Ballycastle, County Mayo

Ballycastle (Baile an Chaistil in Irish) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is situated the north-eastern corner of the island of Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council. It is a pretty town with a beach, and scenic views across to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. Image:Lammas Fair.jpg In the harbour there is a monument to Guglielmo Marconi who made his first wireless transmission from here to Rathlin Island. Ballycastle is also famous for its Ould Lammas Fair, which is held every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. Ballycastle is the home of the Christian peacebuilding Corrymeela Community.

The folk-singer David McWilliams lived in Ballycastle for many years before his death in 2002.

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2001 Census

Ballycastle is classified as a Small Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 5,089 people living in Ballycastle. Of these:

25.3% were aged under 16 years and 18.7% were aged 60 and over
46.8% of the population were male and 53.2% were female
77.7% were from a Catholic background and 20.5% were from a Protestant background
5.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

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