According to HB05/15/022, the prolific traveler, (and erstwhile Archdeacon of Dublin), Dr Richard Pococke, who visited Ballycastle in 1752, refers to ‘a very good inn’ built by the town’s then landlord Hugh Boyd. Local historian Hugh Alexander Boyd, writing in a 1967 newspaper article relating to the hotel, appears to suggest that this ‘inn’ stood on the site of the present hotel, and that the present building replaced it in 1767, when Alexander Boyd leased the site to a local surgeon named Robert McCarroll. C.E.B. Brett repeats this information in his ‘Buildings of County Antrim’, but Cathal Dallat, writing in 1989, states that the current building is of a slightly earlier date, built in 1754. Though there appears to be no conclusive evidence for either date, the fact that much of Castle Street was largely developed in the 1740s and 1750s suggests that the earlier date is not unreasonable.

JMcC research states the building was constructed by Hugh McGildowney.

Pigot’s Directory of 1824.

O’Hall seems to be a spelling error for O’Hale (Working Group review 23/01/25).

OSM IX vol.24 (pp.89) provides a less than glowing review of the “only inn” in Ballycastle which may be the Antrim Arms, although in Pigot’s Directory of 1824 there are two hotels listed.

“Considering the great number of visitors who pass through Ballycastle in the course of the summer, in the tour of the coast of Antrim, the accommodations for travellers are wretched, the only inn being dirty in the extreme; but it may be some consolation to the traveller to know that he can procure post horses, though it would not be advisable to trust to getting them without sending to bespeak them, as only 2 pairs are kept.”

HB05/15/022.

OSM IX vol.24 (pp.94) includes the addition “There is but 1 inn in the town and it affords but indifferent accommodation for travellers; but it may be expected that the great number of visitors who pass through Ballycastle in the course of the summer, in the tour of the Antrim coast, will shortly lead to improvement.”

Post-Office Belfast Annual Directory 1843-1944.

HB05/15/022 cites Alexander Knox “referring to the ‘very good posting [i.e. carriage] establishment’ associated with the hotel.”

Census – building no.1

Robert Hunter, 50, head of family, COI, hotel keeper, married

Margaret Hunter, 48, wife, COI, married

Emma Hunter, 21, daughter, COI, not married

May Hunter, 14, daughter, COI, scholar, not married

Eva Hunter, 12, daughter, COI, scholar, not married

Mary Delargy, 35, servant, RC, cook domestic servant, not married

Minnie Cunningham, 24, servant, Presbyterian, waitress domestic servant, not married

Kate Delargy, 20, servant, RC, scullery maid domestic servant, not married

Nellie Dealin, 18, servant, RC, housemaid domestic servant, not married

Census – building no.1

Margaret Hunter, 60, head of family, COI, hotel keeper, widow

Emma Hunter, 30, daughter, COI, single

Mary Delargy, 48, servant, RC, cook domestic servant, single

Rosetta McAuley, 29, servant, RC, waitress domestic servant, single

Rose McAuley, 23, servant, RC, house maid domestic servant, single

SMcM research based on Griffith’s Valuation registers.

HB05/15/022 notes “Photographic evidence, dating from c.1920 shows the words ‘Ulster Bank’ spelt out in raised lettering above the two windows to the immediate right of the entrance, indicating that the bank operated for the premises at this point. The Ulster Bank’s official history states that a branch was opened in Ballycastle in 1917, but, strangely, the valuers make no mention of any part of the building being sublet or used as a bank at this time (although the western part of the building was sublet from the 1930s). The branch may have been part time, perhaps renting a room out to conduct business on one or two days a week, as happened in many provincial towns and villages.”

Advertisement in the Northern Whig (09/07/1929  – advert repeated 08/07/1930) states:

“The Antrim Arms Hotel at Ballycastle, which is a first-class family and commercial establishment, is one of the oldest established and most reliable houses on the Antrim Coast. It is under the personal management of Mr. E. F. McCambridge, and it should be noted that combined rail and hotel tickets are issued at all estations on the L.M.S. (N.C.C.) system in connection with the house. Phone 13.”

A Joseph Sandford is recorded as renting the (formerly separate) western section of the building for use as ‘offices’ from c.1935, followed by a John Scally in 1945, HB05/15/022.

Visible in c.1940s photo from the Sam Henry collection, Coleraine Museum.

William McGill is noted as renting the western rooms from 1952 to 1969, HB05/15/022.

Conversation with Deirdre Greenwood (06/11/24): Deirdre is the niece of Ena McCambridge and stayed at the Antrim Arms for Easter and summer holidays between 1959-1967. Deirdre remembers it as a lively party palace. Annie McLister (nee McCambridge), Una’s younger sister ran the bar. Deirdre’s mother Grace helped in the kitchen for a year in 1957, Deirdre attended St Brigit’s Primary School.

The family used to sleep ‘up the back stairs’. Ena built a balcony to the right, above the extension, for family/staff to enjoy the sun during the quiet period when the Antrim Arms was closed each afternoon (3pm-5pm). During this time, Cassie Moss was a long-term staff member who looked after the pantry and supervised waitresses.

Four teachers had permanent accommodation in the hotel. Two worked in the convent school, and one in Barnish Primary School; Jim Bradley worked at the Tech. A room on the first floor to the left was given over as the teachers’ sitting room.

In Ena’s time, the hotel backed onto a yard, before an outbuilding, and then another yard down to Mill Street. Pigs were kept in the second yard and fed on slops from the hotel. Across Mill Street, the area later turned into Fairhill Street Carpark had been the gardens of the Antrim Arms. The gardens were sold in the early 1960s to provide capital for Ena to build an extension with large dining room used for wedding parties, meetings, Lammas Fair overflow etc. Deirdre remembers the loft was used to store records from earlier periods.

The main supply of food would have been bought from McCambridge’s in the Diamond and McLister’s on Anne St. Fish was bought from Morton’s in the harbour. Sammy Dodds from Armoy delivered eggs (and possibly the chickens too).

Regular group stays were organised by Upton Tours during the late 50s-early 60s who brought large groups (mostly from the north of England) to visit the north coast. Parents visiting the convent school boarders would come on a Sunday for their tea/dinner on a regular basis. The Antrim Arms was also used as accommodation throughout the 1950s for university students carrying out geological surveys in the area.

The rear yard down on Mill Street housed Ballycastle’s first electricity supply station.

Prior to this it was used as a tannery – hence the informal name for Fairhill Street, Tanyard Brae (Working group review 23/01/25).

Deirdre Greenwood (06/11/24).

Harriet Hamilton (12/11/24) worked for Ernie and Pat Shannon at the Antrim Arms from 1969-1972. She had previously worked at the Marine Hotel but was offered £1 more per week to work as a receptionist at the Antrim Arms. She also occasionally took food orders and worked behind the bar. Harriet remembers all pictures were taken down from the walls in the hotel during the Lammas Fair to avoid them being damaged or stolen.

JMcC research.

P Molloy managed the hotel on behalf of the consortium in 1992. He remembers the Western end of the building sealed off internally with access through a locked door which may have been the partition between the bar and the early 20^th century bank (Working group review 23/01/25).

Martin Neill managed the hotel c.2003, and Kevin Mooney was manager from c.2003-2013 (James McGoldrick, no.35, 17/10/2024).

Derelict from c.2013.

10^th October 2024, structural issues in the derelict building cause the closure of Fairhill Street to pedestrian and car traffic pending emergency measures.