In 2008, eleven fragments of a sandstone sculpture group were donated to Ballycastle Museum. The group is said to have been brought to Ireland from India and, according to local legend, depicted either river gods or devils. A recent museum community engagement programme prompted a fuller examination of the extant pieces, which now appear to tell a very different story.

The publication of the study, “The Devils of Ballycastle: Boyd’s ‘Indian’ Sculpture Group” published in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology (2023), pp.127-47, details all the fragments for the first time and outlines the present state of our understanding. The figures, an armoured Hellenistic male and two female figures, are shown to be a joint legacy of the campaigns of Alexander the Great and the expansion of British control in India.

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For more information on the project, contact Museum Services at museums@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk