Ballintoy


Ballintoy is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is alongside the B15 coast road, north-east of Coleraine, west of Ballycastle and between it and Bushmills. It is in the historic barony of Cary. The village lies about one kilometre from Ballintoy Harbour, a small fishing harbour at the end of a very small, narrow, steep road down Knocksaughey hill which passes by the entrance to Larrybane and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The harbour is host to a dawn service on Easter Sunday each year.

Amenities

Ballintoy's population was recorded at 165 people in the 2001 Census. The village has commercial and social facilities including tourist accommodation, restaurants, several small shops, and two churches. The distinctive white Ballintoy Parish Church sits on the hill above the harbour. The village was originally built around a single street separating the inland pastures from the strip fields running towards the sea. Two of the village's oldest hotels and pubs, the Carrick-A-Rede Hotel and the Fullerton Arms, still stand on this street. The village is in the area covered by Moyle District Council.
In 2011 residents objected to the erection of bilingual street signs in English and Irish in a petition sent to Moyle District Council after an application was requested for an English/Irish sign at Harbour Road opposite the local Church of Ireland.

''Game of Thrones''

The village was used for the fictional town of Lordsport in the Isle of Pyke second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The filming at the harbour took place on 18, 19 and 22 August 2011, and from 15 August there was a limited public access to the zone. The local shops and fishermen, who had to temporarily berth their boats in Ballycastle, were compensated by the production.

Places of interest

The civil parish contains the following townlands: