Ballycastle (from Irish: Baile an Chaistil, meaning “town of the castle”) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It has a population of 5,000 people. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council. Overlooking the harbour there is a monument to Guglielmo Marconi whose employees made the world’s first commercial wireless telegraph transmission between Ballycastle and the East Lighthouse on Rathlin Island. Carey, Glenshesk & Tow Rivers flow down from the glens then eventually join together into one river. This is known as the Margy River which flows into the Moyle Sea at the start of The Strand. The Strand (Ballycastle Beach) has a European Blue Flag.
The town is located on the Northern tip of North Ireland and has a beach with views across to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. The town is at the northern mainland limit of the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ballycastle is also famous for its Lammas Fair, which is held every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. Ballycastle is the home of the Corrymeela Community. The town forms part of the North Antrim constituency. Fair Head is Ballycastle’s most outstanding landmark rising 196 metres (643 ft) out of the bay. Goats can be seen roaming among the rocks beneath the clifftops, where a walkway called ‘The Gray Man’s Path’ winds around the rugged coastline. From the road, a manmade Iron Age island or crannog can be seen in the middle of a large lake.
A popular cycling route runs from Ballycastle to Cushendun, by way of Torr Head, offering spectacular views and scenery. From the road above Torr Head, the whole of Moyle (the North Channel) can be seen. A popular spot for inshore sea fishing, Torr Head also boasts a coastguard station, which is notable in that it was built on and out of the remains of Dunvarragh, the fort of Barach.
[caption id="attachment_203533" align="aligncenter" width="390"] Johannes Brahms in 1889 - New York Public Library - C. Brasch[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Johannes Brahms was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic per...
