- Ballygalley
Ballygalley (sometimes spelt Ballygally) (lga|Baile Geithligh|Geithleach's townland) is a
village inCounty Antrim ,Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately 3 miles north ofLarne . It had a population of 714 in the 2001 Census.Places of interest
Notable features include a sandy beach and the distinct headland of Ballgalley Head.
It is also home to
Ballygally Castle , reputed to be the oldest occupied building inIreland and with a reputation for being haunted. It sits in the middle of the village and is currently used as a hotel. It was built around 1625 for James Shaw ofGreenock and is one of Ireland’s best-preserved Scottish baronial style plantation houses.Demographics
Ballygalley is classified as a small village or hamlet by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with a population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (
29 April 2001 ) there were 714 people living in Ballygalley. Of these:
*21.6% were aged under 16 and 22.1% were aged 60 and over
*49.0% of the population were male and 51.0% were female;
*27.9% were from aCatholic background and 70.5% were from a Protestant background
*2.3% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information Service]
Biology
Ballygalley Head was (in 1983) the only recorded location of "
Gelidiella " "calcicola" from Northern Ireland. [Maggs, C.A. and Guiry,M.D. 1987. "Gelidiella " "calcicola " sp. nov. (Rhodophyta) from the British Isles and Northern France." Br. phycol. J." 22: 417 - 434. (Ref. Maggs, C.A. and Guiry,M.D. 1987)]External links
* [http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=16&to=316&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 Culture Northern Ireland]
References
See also
*
List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland
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