61 Castle Street

November 2023

Project Attributes

Project:

Ballycastle Museum

Owner:

Ballycastle Museum

Date:

28th October 2025

Address: 61 Castle Street

Listing: not listed

Construction date: 1880-1899 (Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017)

Year	Owner/lessee	Business name	Building use	Notes
1824	Hugh Jolly		Grocery	A Hugh Jolly is listed as a grocer on Main Street (Castle Street) in Pigot’s 1824 directory.
1835	Hugh Jolly and Jane McBride			Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017.
1843	Hugh Jolly		Grocery	Post-Office Belfast Annual Directory 1843-1844.
1859	Andrew Revey		Dwelling and shop	Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017.
1864	Andrew Revey			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1865-1875	Andrew Revey and John Cochrane			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1876-1883	Andrew Revey and Archibald Coyle			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1884-1901	Hugh A. McAllister			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1885	Hugh A. McAllister			Earlier (perhaps 1740s) building raised a story to assume present, three-story form, Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017.
1890	Hugh A. McAllister			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1901	Hugh Alexander McAllister			Census – building no. 9 Hugh Alexander McAlister, 39, head of family, Presbyterian, Clerk of Petty Sessions, married Susan McAlister, 38, wife, Presbyterian, married Alexander McAlister, 10, son, Presbyterian, scholar, not married Harriet Oldfield McAlister, 9, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, not married Mary McAlister, 8, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, not married Annie Elizabeth McAlister, 5, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, not married Mary Fisher, 26, general servant domestic, RC, general servant domestic, not married
1902-1917	Hugh A. McAllister			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1908-1911	Daniel McKinley			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1911	Hugh A. McAllister			Census – building no. 9 Hugh Alexander McAlister, 49, head of family, Presbyterian, merchant, auctioneer, Clerk of Petty Sessions, married Susan McAlister, 48, wife, Presbyterian, married Alexander McAlister, 20, son, Presbyterian, shop assistant general grocery, single Harriet Oldfield McAlister, 19, daughter, Presbyterian, undergraduate Queen’s University Belfast, single Mary McAlister, 18, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, single Annie Elizabeth McAlister, 15, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, single Susan Emerald McAlister, 8, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, single Moira Eveleen McAlister, 6, daughter, Presbyterian, scholar, single
1912-1916	Daniel McKinley			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers. JMcC research states that Daniel McKinley was the Town Clerk from 1906-1929.
1917-1928	Hugh A. McAllister			SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.
1929	Ballycastle Urban District Council		Offices	Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017. Working Group review 23/01/25 Edward ‘Ted’ Fogarty, Town Clerk from 1929-1960s. James O’Kane, Town Clerk of Ballycastle Urban District Council 1962-1972, District Clerk and Chief Executive of Moyle District Council 1973-1989. According to James O’Kane’s daughter, ML (in correspondence with Frances McMichael), James was based in the council office in no.61, where “he sat in the big front room along with any other staff there were at a big long table. Quite a large dark room … they moved up to Dalriada [the old fever Hospital building] in between those years before going down to seafront [Sheskburn].” There is a memorial bench in front of the bowling green in his honour.
1970s – early 1980s?	Ballycastle Urban District Council		Tourist office	Harriet Hamilton (12/11/24) worked for Moyle Council 1972-1978. She worked at Dalriada House (the old workhouse fever hospital building) in the winters, but in the Tourist Office based downstairs in 61 Castle Street during the summers. The manager of the Tourist Office was Peter Logue. According to Melanie Brown (oral history 14/05/24), the Ballycastle Tourist Office operated through to the late 70s or 80s. Her mother was one of the seasonal staff.
?-1985		Tweed’s Drapery	Clothes shop?	According to Michael McMullan of no.39 (22/11/23), prior to his father taking the building on as a pharmacy, it was a clothes shop. JMcC research notes that the shop here between the council offices and McMullan’s Pharmacy was called Tweed’s Drapery.
1985-1994	P.J. McMullan	McMullan’s Pharmacy	Pharmacy	Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017. According to Michael McMullan of no.39 (22/11/23) the building was leased by his father, P.J. McMullan from 1985 as a pharmacy. Photos in the Chronicle and Constitution Archive 1991, Coleraine Museum.
1994-2000	Michael McMullan		Pharmacy	Michael McMullan (22/11/23).
1990s			Dwellings	Upper stories altered to create two apartments, Historic Buildings Record HB05/15/017.
c.2003		Concern Worldwide	Charity shop and dwellings	According to Clare Black and Maureen Kearny (Concern volunteers) 15/11/23, Concern has existed as a group since c.1983, in this location since c.2003.