BALLYMONEY town
Located in The Causeway Coast and Glens Council area, the town of Ballymoney, is situated just 15 miles from the breath-taking Causeway Coast. Ballymoney is renowned for its rich and colourful history, with many well-known characters; playwright George Shiels, George 'Bloody' Hutchinson who supposedly every Friday 13th and Halloween night, haunts the Ballymoney’s Main Street, and Chain-store millionaire, Samuel Robinson who financed The Robinson Memorial Hospital, built in honour of his late parents. In more recent times the legendary road racing brothers Joey and Robert Dunlop have been added to the list.
Check out www.visitballymoney.com for details.
Check out www.visitballymoney.com for details.
ERASMUS SMITH SCHOOL
Erasmus Smith was a wealthy London merchant. He supplied provisions to Cromwell’s army and he used some of his acquired Irish property to finance the formation of schools.
In 1813 one of these schools was built in Ballymoney by the trustees of the Erasmus Smith funds. The old building is now at the back of the Church Street shops and part of the front facade can be seen if one walks to the far corner of the car park in Linenhall Street. In 1872 it was agreed to auction the building in order to build a new school beside St Patrick’s Parish Church.
Erasmus Smith was a wealthy London merchant. He supplied provisions to Cromwell’s army and he used some of his acquired Irish property to finance the formation of schools.
In 1813 one of these schools was built in Ballymoney by the trustees of the Erasmus Smith funds. The old building is now at the back of the Church Street shops and part of the front facade can be seen if one walks to the far corner of the car park in Linenhall Street. In 1872 it was agreed to auction the building in order to build a new school beside St Patrick’s Parish Church.
BILLY
Billy is derived from the Gaelic word Bile, meaning a large ancient tree. The old church of Bile is mentioned in the taxation of Pope Nicholas IV in 1290 and the wall of the graveyard, south of the present church, contains part of the north wall of that ancient church. The building of the present parish church was made possible by the gift of £800 from the Board of First Fruits and was consecrated in 1815. A bell was installed in 1821. In 1834, the sum of £9 was expended on the purchase of a Parish Hearse. Half a crown was to be paid by any person using the hearse and a second half crown lodged as security for its safe return. It was last used in 1900 and can now be found in the Transport Museum at Cultra.
Billy is derived from the Gaelic word Bile, meaning a large ancient tree. The old church of Bile is mentioned in the taxation of Pope Nicholas IV in 1290 and the wall of the graveyard, south of the present church, contains part of the north wall of that ancient church. The building of the present parish church was made possible by the gift of £800 from the Board of First Fruits and was consecrated in 1815. A bell was installed in 1821. In 1834, the sum of £9 was expended on the purchase of a Parish Hearse. Half a crown was to be paid by any person using the hearse and a second half crown lodged as security for its safe return. It was last used in 1900 and can now be found in the Transport Museum at Cultra.
Stained glass window by Michael Healy
THE DARK HEDGES
The Dark Hedges, a beautiful avenue of beech trees planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century, remains a magnificent sight and has become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland. However, many visitors are unaware of the supernatural 'Grey Lady' who appears at dusk among the trees and silently glides along the roadside and vanishes as she passes the last beech tree. Some say the mysterious spectre is the ghost of a maid from the nearby house who died in mysterious circumstances centuries ago. Others believe that she is a lost spirit from an abandoned graveyard that is thought to lie hidden in the fields nearby. On Hallowe’en night, the forgotten graves are said to open and the Grey Lady is joined on her walk by the tormented souls of those who were buried beside her.
The Dark Hedges, a beautiful avenue of beech trees planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century, remains a magnificent sight and has become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland. However, many visitors are unaware of the supernatural 'Grey Lady' who appears at dusk among the trees and silently glides along the roadside and vanishes as she passes the last beech tree. Some say the mysterious spectre is the ghost of a maid from the nearby house who died in mysterious circumstances centuries ago. Others believe that she is a lost spirit from an abandoned graveyard that is thought to lie hidden in the fields nearby. On Hallowe’en night, the forgotten graves are said to open and the Grey Lady is joined on her walk by the tormented souls of those who were buried beside her.
The Metal Bridge WalkStarting in Stranocum Village the walk takes rural roads and quiet country lanes through picturesque Bush Valley countryside. From the Bush picnic area and car park follow the Ballinlea Road to its junction with the Livery Road. Turning right, the walk is signposted along the Livery Road. Continue along this road until you reach the small accommodation bridge over the River Bush, turn right onto the Gracehill Road then right onto the Fivey Road which takes you back into Stranocum village.
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The HauntingThe Church Tower and Old Graveyard in Ballymoney
Legend has it that every Friday 13th and Halloween night, with a large metal ball chained to his ankle “Bloody” Hutchinson haunts the town’s Main Street. He was a magistrate who was responsible for suppressing the United Irish Rebellion of 1798 in the Ballymoney area and he became notorious for his summary justice. |
A Place to VisitMovanagher is a working fish farm producing brown and rainbow trout for restocking angling waters throughout Northern Ireland. Tours can be arranged by appointment and consists of a visit to the hatchery and fish ponds where visitors may feed the fish. The manager if requested in advance can give talks. All tours are conducted by farm staff.
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THE GHOULS OF BALLYMONEY
Location: Ballymoney - Main Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Midnight, every Friday the thirteenth (reoccurring)
Further Comments: With a large metal ball chained to his ankle, George 'Bloody' Hutchinson walks one way down the street before turning back again. It is reported that anyone who can prevent him from completing his journey will dismiss the spirit forever.
A tunnel under the town is said to have been used by Hutchinson to move secretly and safely from his house.
The Old Church Tower is the oldest surviving building in the town. The tower has a date stone inscribed 1637 and is included on the Borough Coat of Arms. Among those buried in the graveyard is the town’s ghost George Hutchinson JP, known as ‘Bloody Hutchinson’. He was a magistrate who brought the local United Irishmen to trial during the rebellion of 1798. One of the rebels, Alexander Gamble, was hanged at the Diamond. Eighty-five years later his remains were discovered and re-interred here in 1883.
‘Bloody’ Hutchinson’s grave is reportedly the location for any amount of supernatural behaviour.
Presumptively, the most notorious of Hutchinson’s contentious acts was the hanging of Alexander Gamble, a United Irishman who also made soap for a living. He was tried and hanged at the clock-tower at the top of Main Street. Apparently he would have been spared if he had informed on his fellow United Irishmen. Reportedly, he replied with an answer, “I will die some day, and know not when; but it will never be cast in the face of my children that their father betrayed others to save himself”.
Legend has it that a fella was ‘dared’ to spend the night in the graveyard and, being one of those types with the puffed-out chest and the gut-full of ale, he accepted the challenge. Apparently he appeared the next morning naked, his hair white, gibbering incomprehensible nonsense about “the ghosts” and so on.
The main point of interest in this church yard is the oldest gravestone in the north of Ireland, dated 1610. There are a lot of old gravestones from the 1700′s and 1800′s. Some gravestones told tragic stories of whole families buried beneath the one stone, all children dead before the age of 20 and others told of surprising longevity for the times with one venerable lady living until the ripe old age of 103.
George Hutchinson is commonly remembered for his role in crushing the local United Irishmen during the 1798 Rebellion.
In 1798, magistrates were encouraged to deal harshly with offenders. Those found guilty of insurrection risked being given a public lashing, transportation to the penal colonies or execution by hanging. Hutchinson is alleged to have ordered the execution of Alexander Gamble, Samuel Bonniton and William Adams. These notorious cases have led to him being remembered as ‘Bloody’ Hutchinson.
Despite his notorious reputation, he is also known to have been generous and kind. He was a leading figure in the community and donated land to help the building of the Roman Catholic chapel.
He also once received a gift from a grateful convict whose sentence he had reduced. The beautifully carved coconut shell was later inlaid in silver by the family, and it is still held by his descendents who now live in Australia.
Location: Ballymoney - Main Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Midnight, every Friday the thirteenth (reoccurring)
Further Comments: With a large metal ball chained to his ankle, George 'Bloody' Hutchinson walks one way down the street before turning back again. It is reported that anyone who can prevent him from completing his journey will dismiss the spirit forever.
A tunnel under the town is said to have been used by Hutchinson to move secretly and safely from his house.
The Old Church Tower is the oldest surviving building in the town. The tower has a date stone inscribed 1637 and is included on the Borough Coat of Arms. Among those buried in the graveyard is the town’s ghost George Hutchinson JP, known as ‘Bloody Hutchinson’. He was a magistrate who brought the local United Irishmen to trial during the rebellion of 1798. One of the rebels, Alexander Gamble, was hanged at the Diamond. Eighty-five years later his remains were discovered and re-interred here in 1883.
‘Bloody’ Hutchinson’s grave is reportedly the location for any amount of supernatural behaviour.
Presumptively, the most notorious of Hutchinson’s contentious acts was the hanging of Alexander Gamble, a United Irishman who also made soap for a living. He was tried and hanged at the clock-tower at the top of Main Street. Apparently he would have been spared if he had informed on his fellow United Irishmen. Reportedly, he replied with an answer, “I will die some day, and know not when; but it will never be cast in the face of my children that their father betrayed others to save himself”.
Legend has it that a fella was ‘dared’ to spend the night in the graveyard and, being one of those types with the puffed-out chest and the gut-full of ale, he accepted the challenge. Apparently he appeared the next morning naked, his hair white, gibbering incomprehensible nonsense about “the ghosts” and so on.
The main point of interest in this church yard is the oldest gravestone in the north of Ireland, dated 1610. There are a lot of old gravestones from the 1700′s and 1800′s. Some gravestones told tragic stories of whole families buried beneath the one stone, all children dead before the age of 20 and others told of surprising longevity for the times with one venerable lady living until the ripe old age of 103.
George Hutchinson is commonly remembered for his role in crushing the local United Irishmen during the 1798 Rebellion.
In 1798, magistrates were encouraged to deal harshly with offenders. Those found guilty of insurrection risked being given a public lashing, transportation to the penal colonies or execution by hanging. Hutchinson is alleged to have ordered the execution of Alexander Gamble, Samuel Bonniton and William Adams. These notorious cases have led to him being remembered as ‘Bloody’ Hutchinson.
Despite his notorious reputation, he is also known to have been generous and kind. He was a leading figure in the community and donated land to help the building of the Roman Catholic chapel.
He also once received a gift from a grateful convict whose sentence he had reduced. The beautifully carved coconut shell was later inlaid in silver by the family, and it is still held by his descendents who now live in Australia.
Step up to George Hutchinson's House