Cushendall - Places of Interest

Places of Interest

The Curfew Tower in the centre of the village was built by then landlord of the town, Francis Turnley, in 1817, to confine riotous prisoners. Dan McBride, an army pensioner, was given the job of permanent garrison and was armed with one musket, a bayonet, a brace of pistols and a thirteen-feet-long pike. The tower is now owned by artist Bill Drummond.

Oisín's Grave, off the main Cushendall to Ballymoney road, is a megalithic court cairn on a hillside in Lubitavish, near the Glenann River. It is believed to be the burial place of Oísín - the Celtic Warrior Poet. A stone cairn was erected here in 1989 in memory of John Hewitt, the poet of the Glens.

The ruins of Layde Church, one of the oldest and most important historical sites in the Glens are situated on the coast road between Cushendall and Cushendun. The exact origins of the site are unknown but it probably began life as a holy place in the Iron Age or before. It was in ruins in 1622 but rebuilt about 1696 and remained the site of Protestant worship until the 1800s.

Red Bay Castle, situated between the villages of Cushendall and Waterfoot. Built by the Bisset family in the 14th century and later occupied by the MacDonnells, one of the outposts of the Kingdom of Dál Riata.

Glenariff Forest Park, 5 miles inland from Cushendall, covers an area of 1185 hectares. In the park are two small rivers containing spectacular waterfalls, tranquil pools and stretches of fast flowing water tumbling through rocky gorges. There is a café, toilets and an exhibition centre. Four way-marked trails of varying length (1–9 km) wind through the forest leading you into some of the park’s wooded areas. One follows the Glenariff River with its famous waterfalls and passes through the National Nature Reserve.