Overview
Armoy is a village of about 1,100 people that produced a road-racing dynasty. In the late 1970s four local riders – Joey Dunlop among them – became the ‘Armoy Armada’ and made their name on the world’s road circuits, and the village still closes its own roads for the Armoy Road Race each summer. The other reason to stop is older by nine centuries: the stump of a round tower in the churchyard, on a monastic site founded around AD 460.
Armoy (Irish: Oirthear Maí) sits on the north bank of the River Bush, in the hills behind the Antrim coast – 5.5 miles (9 km) south-west of Ballycastle and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Ballymoney. For most visitors it is a short stop rather than a day out: come for the round tower and the Armada mural, both free and in the village centre, and use it as a base for the Causeway Coast and the Dark Hedges a few minutes’ drive away. The one weekend it becomes a destination in its own right is the road race in high summer.
History
A monastery was founded here around AD 460 by Saint Olcán, a disciple of Saint Patrick; finds from the 6th century confirm the site was important early on. The land was granted, by tradition, by Fergus Mór mac Eirc, remembered as Ireland’s first Christian king.
The round tower came much later. Only an 11-metre stump survives, built in the 11th century – three storeys of stone with its doorway set five feet above the ground, reached in its day by a rope ladder that could be pulled up behind you. In the 17th century the village shifted down to the riverside to work water-powered mills. The Anglican Church of St Patrick, rebuilt in 1820 on the original monastic site, keeps some medieval fabric and a salmon-shaped weathervane; across the river, the Presbyterian church (1842) has a miniature Eiffel-tower spire topped by a Viking-ship vane – a nod to the Norse who once raided here.
There is a bit of geology under the churchyard too. Before the last Ice Age the Bush ran straight north to the sea at Ballycastle; the Armoy Moraine – the ridge the church and round tower sit on – deflected it westward to Bushmills, where it reaches the sea today.
Motorbike heritage
Armoy’s modern fame is built on motorbikes. In the late 1970s four local riders – Joey Dunlop, Frank Kennedy, Mervyn Robinson and Jim Dunlop – became the ‘Armoy Armada’ and made their name in international road racing. Their story is told in a mural by the West Belfast artist Oliver McParland, unveiled in 2020 and on permanent display in the village centre.
The Armoy Road Race is a three-mile (4.8 km) street circuit run on the village’s own roads, with sections that echo the North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT. It has been a fixture since 2009, usually the last weekend of July, drawing up to 27 riders a race and fans from across the island. Buy tickets in advance, and be ready for road closures and crowds on race days – the flip side of racing through a working village.
Things to see and do
| Attraction | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Armoy Round Tower | The surviving 11th-century stump; the surrounding graveyard marks the old monastic enclosure, founded around AD 460. |
| St Patrick’s (Anglican) | Gothic basalt rubble, an 1820 rebuild, the salmon weathervane and stained-glass lancets. |
| Armoy Presbyterian Church | The Viking-ship weathervane and Eiffel-tower-inspired spire. |
| Armoy Riverside Park | A riverside park to the racers, with the Armada statue and pathways inlaid with representations of the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix circuits. Open daily, free. |
| Gracehill House & Golf Club | A Georgian mansion (c. 1775) in parkland, with an 18-hole course among ponds and woodland. |
| The Dark Hedges (nearby) | The beech avenue made famous by Game of Thrones, a short drive from the village. |
| Limepark Farmstead | Restored Georgian cottages for self-catering, with swallows, pipistrelle bats and a yew-tree avenue in the grounds. |
| Ballypatrick Forest (nearby) | 400 ha of mixed woodland with marked trails along the River Bush – a gentle forest walk. |
Events and festivals
- Armoy Road Race – usually the last weekend of July; tickets in advance, racing over the three-mile village circuit.
- Armoy Armada mural – the tribute to the four racing legends, on permanent display in the centre since 2020.
- Summer community fair – usually August, on the village green, with local crafts, food and live music (dates vary).
Practical information
Getting there – Armoy is on the A44 (Hillside Road) between Ballycastle and Ballymoney. The nearest working railway station is Ballymoney (8 miles / 13 km) on the Belfast–Derry line; Ballycastle’s station closed for good in 1950. Ulsterbus services between Ballycastle and Ballymoney stop in Armoy.
Parking – free on-street parking in the village centre, with spaces by most of the attractions (the churches, round tower and park). The Riverside Park has free parking too. Accommodation providers such as Limepark have their own parking for guests.
Accommodation – self-catering cottages and farm-stay options at Limepark make a comfortable base for families, pets and cyclists exploring the coast.
Visitor tips – the round-tower stump and churchyards are open year-round and free, as is the Riverside Park outside race dates. For race days, arrive early for a viewing spot and buy tickets ahead through the event’s official Facebook page. The Dark Hedges nearby get very busy and have no real parking at the avenue itself, so go early or late and park at the designated car park rather than on the road.
Nearby – the Dark Hedges, Gracehill Golf Club and Sheans Horse Farm are all within about 5 miles, which makes Armoy a handy hub for a day on the Causeway Coast. Ballypatrick Forest adds woodland walks along the River Bush.
Useful links