Portballintrae


Portballintrae is a small seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is four miles east of Portrush and two miles west of the Giant's Causeway. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 734 people, a decline of 10% compared to 1991. It lies within the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area.

History

Portballintrae was originally a fishing village; a cluster of whitewashed cottages nestled around the horse shoe-shaped Ballintrae Bay. Many of its earlier buildings have been restored and maintained. The original village houses were built in a line along the seashore and many old cottages still stand on the shore.
Portballintrae has undergone rapid growth since the 1970s. However, there has been a steady change in its character, with almost all the recent dwellings completed acquired as second homes, and a considerable proportion of the older housing changing also to second homes. Considerably less than half of the dwellings in the village remain as permanent residences. House prices are high; a modest three bedroom bungalow would be expected to realise anything up to £300,000, those with sea views realise considerably more than this. In the summer of 2009, a new village hall was constructed by the seafront car park, complete with conference suite, IT facilities, and a newsagents.

Donald Trump

Portballintrae was considered as a location for a proposed £1 billion golf course complex by American tycoon Donald Trump.

Armada

Off the coast of Portballintrae a team of Belgian divers brought up the greatest find of Spanish Armada treasure ever recovered from a wrecked ship. The Gironas recovered gold jewellery is on show in the Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Places of interest

Portballintrae is classified as a small village or hamlet by the .
On Census day there were 734 people living in Portballintrae. Of these: