Overview
Bonamargy Friary sits, a little improbably, in the middle of Ballycastle Golf Course – a roofless Franciscan ruin ringed by fairways, free to walk into with open access all year. Its name means ‘foot of the Margy River’, for the river formed where the Carey and Shesk meet just below. What makes it worth the stop rather than a passing glance is how much survives: the cloister, gatehouse, church and altar are all still legible, so you can read the shape of daily monastic life off the stone. If you have time for one thing, it’s the sealed vault beneath the church, where the great Ulster chieftain Sorley Boy MacDonnell is buried.
The friary is just outside Ballycastle, a short walk from the harbour, and makes an easy stop for anyone working the Antrim Coast and Glens or the Causeway Coastal Route.
History & Architecture
MacQuillan foundation
The friary was built around 1500 by Rory MacQuillan, a powerful local lord, for the Franciscans – a mendicant order known for preaching, poverty and close ties to the people around them. Its position near the river mouths gave both a defensive vantage and a supply route for boats bringing grain and timber from the coast.
Clan rivalry and the MacDonnell takeover
Sixteenth-century Ulster ran on shifting alliances and territorial feuds. The friary was burned in 1584 while occupied by English troops, and in 1588 the rival MacDonnell clan took it over. Rather than dismantle the community, the MacDonnells folded it into their own dynastic identity and used it as a burial ground. The most famous interment is Sorley Boy MacDonnell (died 1590), whose long resistance to English expansion in Ulster earned him a lasting place in Irish memory. He lies, along with several Earls of Antrim and Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim, in a vault beneath the church that is now permanently sealed for preservation – so don’t expect a tomb to stand over; the marker of note is the vault entrance itself.
Scholars and the Black Nun
The friary was a centre of learning. In 1822, workers found an old oak chest holding four manuscripts, including a roughly 600-page vellum copy of a work by Thomas Aquinas (dated to 1338–1380) and a French devotional text; they had originally belonged to the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Amiens. Local tradition also keeps the memory of Julia MacQuillen, the ‘Black Nun’, a 17th-century recluse and reputed prophet, said to haunt the site. She’s buried at the west end of the church, marked by a Celtic cross with a hole through its centre – look for it before you leave.
What to see
- Cloister walk and gatehouse – Enter through the two-storey gatehouse that once controlled access to the precinct. The vaulted ground floor was a workshop; well-worn steps lead up to what was the dormitory. The cloister walk survives largely intact.
- East window and altar – The east window keeps its late-medieval stone tracery, and the light through it still falls on the altar space.
- The sealed vault – A narrow stair leads down to the MacDonnell vault. It’s locked and sealed, but the heavy stonework and the interpretive signage carry the weight of it.
- The Black Nun’s cross – The holed Celtic cross at the west end (see above).
- Coastal views – The river-mouth setting frames wide views of the coastline; the shifting tides and weathered walls make it a reliable spot for landscape photography.
Getting there & practical information
Bonamargy is well signposted off the A2 (Cushendall Road), just after the Ballycastle exit. The one real snag is parking: the car park opposite the gatehouse is small and free, and it fills fast on summer weekends. If it’s full, the simplest fix is to leave the car in Ballycastle and walk out – it’s only 10 to 15 minutes north along the coast road.
Entry is free, with open access all year and no ticket office or reception; you follow the signage from the car park to the entrance. The ground-level cloister walk is paved and level, so it’s manageable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the upper gatehouse floors and the staircase down to the vault are not accessible.
Without a car, Ulsterbus routes 252 and 254 stop in Ballycastle town centre, from where it’s that same short walk north. The friary is a State Care Historic Monument, so the fabric is protected and maintained.
Nearby attractions & walks
- Ballycastle Heritage Trail – A self-guided route linking the harbour, the Ballycastle Museum and several listed buildings, passing within walking distance of the friary.
- Coastal path to Fair Head – A marked path runs west along the shore toward the cliffs of Benmore Headland (Fairhead), with open sea views and a steady gradient that suits intermediate walkers.
- Glens of Antrim – A short drive inland opens up the valleys that give the region its name, each with its own waterfalls, standing stones and quiet beaches.
For the best light on the cloister walls, come late in the afternoon when the sun sits low over the water – and bring a jacket whatever the season, because the coastal breeze moves straight through the open ruins.