Ballintoy is a small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is located alongside the B15 coast road, 28 km (17.4 mi) north-east of Coleraine

Coleraine

Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...

, 8 km (5 mi) west of Ballycastle

Ballycastle, County Antrim

Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....

 and between it and Bushmills

Bushmills

Bushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. It is located 95 km from Belfast, 10 km from Ballycastle and 15 km from Coleraine...

. The village is located about one kilometre from Ballintoy Harbour, a small fishing harbour

Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...

 located at the end of a very small, narrow, steep road down Knocksaughey hill which passes by the entrance to Larrybane and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National Trust, spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below. Today the bridge...

. The harbour is host to a Dawn Service on Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 Sunday each year.

There has been no significant development within the village in the past and, as a result, Ballintoy's population has slowly declined and was only 165 people in the 2001 Census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

. The village has modest commercial and social facilities including tourist accommodation, restaurants, several small shops, and two churches. The best known church is the distinctive white Ballintoy Parish Church on the hill above the harbour. The village was originally built around a single street separating the inland pastures from the strip fields running towards the sea. Two of the village’s oldest hotels and pubs, the Carrick-A-Rede Hotel and the Fullerton Arms
, still stand on this street. The village is in the area covered by Moyle District Council

Moyle District Council

Moyle District Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in the north-east corner of Northern Ireland. It covers a largely rural area of approximately 190 square miles and has a population of 15,000...

.

In 2011 residents objected to the erection of bilingual street signs in English and Irish in a petition sent to Moyle District Council after an application was requested for an English/Irish sign at Harbour Road opposite the local Church of Ireland.

Places of interest

• Bendhu House - a listed building on the road down to the harbour which was built by the artist Newton Penprase
• The remains of Dunseverick Castle
  Dunseverick Castle
  Dunseverick Castle is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, near the small village of Dunseverick and the Giant's Causeway. Dunseverick Castle and earthworks are Scheduled Historic Monuments in the townland of Feigh, in Moyle District Council area, at grid ref: C9871 4467.Dunseverick Castle...
  
   are nearby and the village is only a short drive from the Giant's Causeway
  Giant's Causeway
  The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills...
  
  .
• Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
  Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
  Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National Trust, spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below. Today the bridge...
  
   is just outside the village. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. It is thought salmon
  Salmon
  Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
  
  fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 300 years. The bridge spans 20 m (65.6 ft) and is 30 m (98.4 ft) above the rocks below. It is a major tourist attraction with 140,000 visitors in 2005.