Ballygally

Archaeological excavations undertaken in the area in the 1990s, identified the remains of several Neolithic houses approximately 500m from the shore of Ballygally Bay.

The castle was built around 1625 for James Shaw of Greenock and is one of Ireland's best-preserved Scottish baronial style plantation houses.

[citation needed] Cairndhu Golf Course, on top of Ballygally Head, overlooks the village and Carnfunnock Country Park (which offers a cafe, walled garden, caravan park and campsite, maze, children's playground, bouncy castle, mini-train rides, bungee runs, mini-golf, and nature walks) is nearby.

[4] Ballygally is classified as a small village or hamlet by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 500 and 1,000 people).

[6] Wedges of agglomerate have been found around Ballygally Head, showing that there were several stages of eruption, allowing tuff to form before the vent was blown out and once more filled with magma.

Looking south at Ballygally beach and Ballygally Head.
Ballygally Head
Ballygally Castle Hotel incorporates a 17th-century tower house
In the far distance, on the right, is the small peak of Scawt Hill. Six new minerals were discovered for the first time here, including scawtite and larnite.