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BALLINTOGHER, a village, in the parish of KIL-
LERY, barony of TIRAGHRILL, county of SLIGO, and
province of CONNAUGHT, 3½ miles (S. W.) from Dro-
rnohair; containing 201 inhabitants. This place, which
is situated on the road from Dromohair to Collooney,
comprises about 40 thatched dwellings, and contains the
parish church, a small plain building, and the parochial
Roman Catholic chapel, a large and commodious edifice.
Fairs are held on Jan. 22nd, June 8th, July 28th, Oct.
17th, and Dec. 8th; and here is a station of the consta-
bulary police. Near it is Oldcastle, the residence of E.
Loftus Neynoe, Esq.; occupying the site of the ancient
castle of Kingsfort. Iron ore has been found in the
vicinity; and in the mountains of West Lough Gill are
indications of coal, manganese, iron, and copper, besides
a great variety of clays.—See KILLERY.
BALLINTOY, a parish, in the barony of CAREY,
county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles
(N.W.) from Ballycastle; containing 4061 inhabitants,
of which number, 278 are in the village. This parish is
situated on the most northern part of the coast of
Antrim, which is here diversified with creeks and bays,
and with cliffs and headlands of singular and romantic
appearance. It lies opposite to the north-west point
of the island of Rathlin, and comprises, according to the
Ordnance survey, 12,753¾ acres (including Sheep and
Carrickarede islands), of which about one-half is arable,
one-third pasture, and the remainder bog. The surface
is boldly varied: immediately above the village rises the
lofty hill of Knocksoghy, covered with rock and furze;
there is also another hill called Croaghmore, which
rises to a great height, and may be seen at a great dis-
tance; its sides are arable, and on the summit, which
is fine pasture, without any heath, are a cairn of stones
and some graves. The land about the village and near
White Park bay is in a high state of cultivation. Sea-
weed, of which some is made into kelp, and shell sand
and lime are the chief manures. The village contains
about 60 houses: the road from Ballycastle to Bush-
mills passes through the parish, and commands some
pleasantly diversified scenery and some highly romantic
views, among which are White Park bay and the beau-
tiful windings of the shore studded with detached masses
of basaltic rock and limestone. Near it is Mount Druid,
the residence of the Rev. Robert Trail, a handsome
mansion deriving its name from the Druidical relic on
the hill above it. In the hills are found mines of wood-
coal, which seems to be peculiar to this part of the coast:
it is found in strata generally under basalt, varying
from two inches to two feet in thickness, and displays
the grain, knots, roots, and branches of timber; it is
generally used as domestic fuel, but its disagreeable
smell renders it very ineligible for that purpose. These
mines belong of right to the Antrim family, who are
lords in fee; but their claim has never been asserted to
prevent the tenants raising as much coal as they might
require. There are extensive quarries of good stone,
which is obtained for building and also for repairing the
roads; and limestone abounds in the parish. Some of
the inhabitants are employed in spinning yarn and
weaving, but the greater number are engaged in agri-
culture. There are salmon fisheries at Portbraddon,
Carrickarede, and Laryban, on the coast. The insulated
rock of Carrickarede is separated from the main land by
a chasm 60 feet wide and more than 80 feet deep; at
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this place the salmon are intercepted in their retreat to
the rivers. The fishing commences early in spring and
continues till August: a rude bridge of ropes is every
year thrown across the chasm, which remains during
the season, and a singular kind of fishery is carried on,
which is generally very productive. The other fish taken
off this coast are glassen, grey gurnet, cod, lythe, ling,
sea trout, mackerel, and turbot: a species of red cod,
and a small thick red fish of indifferent quality, called
murranroe, are also found here. About 30 boats are
employed in the fishery, which are drawn up in the
several creeks along the shore; there are also several
bays, into one of which, called Port Camply, vessels
of light tonnage occasionally sail from the Scottish
coast. At Port Ballintoy there is a coast-guard station,
which is one of the eight stations that form the district
of Ballycastle. Fairs are held in the village for horses,
Scotch ponies, cattle, pigs, and pedlery, on June 3rd,
Sept. 4th. and Oct. 14th. The parish is within the
jurisdiction of the manorial court of Ballycastle, which
is held there every month.
The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Connor,
and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount
to £415. 7. 8. The church, a plain edifice with a spire,
was rebuilt on the site of the ancient structure, in 1813,
by aid of a gift of £800 from the late Board of First
Fruits; it is romantically situated on a plain on the
sea-shore, backed by lofty hills. The glebe-house was
built by the present incumbent in 1791, and is situated
on a glebe of 40 acres, subject to a rent of £25. 5. late
currency. In the R. C. divisions this parish is united
to that of Armoy, and contains a small chapel. There
is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection
with the Synod of Ulster. A parochial school was
founded and endowed by Mrs. Jane Stewart, under
whose will the master is appointed by the vestry held
at Easter, and has a salary of £15 per annum. At
Prollisk and Island Macallen are two schools, supported
by a society of which the late Dr. Adams was the ori-
ginator, which, with the parochial school, afford instruc-
tion to about 240 boys and 80 girls; and there are also
three private schools, in which are about 90 boys and
30 girls. The splendid ruins of Dunseverick castle, one
of the earliest Scottish fortresses, situated on a bold
and isolated rock projecting into the sea, at the north-
west extremity of the parish, and formerly the seat
of the O’Cahans, form an interesting feature on the
coast; traces of the outworks are still visible, and the
remains of the keep, consisting only of part of the shell
crowning the summit of the rock, which has been ren-
dered more inaccessible by clearing away immense mas-
ses from the base, in order to make it the more precipi-
tous, derive much interest from the singularity of their
situation. At Port Coan, near the Giants’ Causeway,
is a singular cavern, the sides and roof of which are
formed of round pebbles imbedded in a matrix of basalt
of great hardness. At the other extremity of the parish,
on the sea-coast to the east of the village, and about a
mile from the road leading to Ballycastle, are the ruins
of Mac Allister’s castle, a small fortress erected by the
native chieftain whose name it bears, but at what precise
period is not known; it is situated on the verge of a
frightful chasm, on the lower extremity of an abrupt
headland connected with the shore by a narrow isthmus,
which is perforated at its base by several caverns, in one