Interesting Facts

Did you know?

Cushendall translates to 'Foot of the Dall' which forms from the Glenann and Glenballyemon rivers.
In 1924, Cushendall became one of the first villages in Ireland to have street lighting designed by local miller Anthony O’Connor.
Cushendall once held eight fair days during the year and that tradition is kept alive today through the 'Heart of the Glens' festival which takes place over ten days each August.
Each year, at Altarichard, families would negotiate the rental of a bank, or a small portion of bogland to be used for turf cutting each summer. The size of bank was dictated by the size of the family and was very carefully measured and protected.
Garvagh hosts one of the largest annual vintage shows in Ireland, each September.
Garvagh Museum and Heritage Centre, located behind the Clock Tower, is home to a large collection of historical and cultural treasures and is the largest, private, rural folk Museum in Ireland.
The name Castlerock derives from a black basalt outcrop situated close to the shore.
Castlerock Railway Station was designed by John Lanyon, the son of Charles Lanyon who designed many iconic buildings such as Queens University and the Custom House in Belfast and the Glendun Viaduct.
C.S. Lewis, spent his summer holidays as a young boy in Castlerock with his brother Warren and parents. He would explore the pathways that lead to Downhill Castle and the Lion's Gate and play in the rock pools, all of these childhood experiences left an indelible impression in his imagination which later found their way into his writings. The magical seashore in Prince Caspian echoes the childhood days and tidal pools, Aslan the great lion from the Lions Gate at Downhill.
Downhill Castle housed a large and priceless collection of art, including works by Rubens, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Titian, Raphael and Rembrandt. Shipped from Italy and his travels across Europe, the Earl Bishop was a great patron to the arts.
Castlerock, Articlave and Downhill are all in the Parish of Dunboe, an area steeped in history. The name means 'Fort of the Cow'. It is said that in the reign of King Art, there was a famine and that a cow called Glasgavlin was stolen from Ballynascreen and tethered to a rock at Downhill known as 'The Tether Rock'. She is said to have saved the lives of the people with a constant supply of milk.
When the baselining work of Major General Thomas Colby was remeasured in 1960 using electronic equipment the new measurements differed from Major Colby's by only 1 inch.
A certain Harry Ferguson of Massey Ferguson Tractors could often been seen on Magilligan beach test flying a monoplane he had developed in 1911.