Ballygally Castle, on the east coast of County Antrim, is one of the finest examples of Scottish baronial architecture in Northern Ireland. Built by James Shaw of Greenock in 1625, it reflects the interplay between Ireland and Scotland across the Irish Sea in the late medieval and early 17th century. The roots of this castle are very strongly Scottish: one would almost imagine this building had been uprooted from somewhere in Dumfriesshire and lain down in the Antrim countryside.
Its walls stand five-foot thick, the building is three storeys high with small castellated towers sticking out at the tops of each corner of the building. The castle stood within a bawn (a fortified courtyard) with corner towers at each corner and inside was a formal garden laid-out. Renovations in the 1760s have changed its appearance somewhat, but today’s visitor - because Ballygally Castle is now a hotel - can experience the interior of this fine early 17th century castle with its huge fireplaces, its narrow staircases, and the intimations of a ghost which are promoted on the top floor.
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