Charlie's Hideaway Camping & Caravanning

26/05/2026

25/05/2026

Do you know the story behind the beautiful sculpture of 4 swans in flight which stands on Ballycastle sea front? The 4 swans represent the 4 children of Lir.

The story begins in the age of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the magical people of Irish myth. Lir was a noble lord whose wife died after giving birth to four children:
Fionnuala, Aodh, and the twins Fiachra and Conn.

To heal the family’s grief, Lir married Aoife, the sister of his first wife. At first she cared for the children, but jealousy crept into her heart like frost over a lake. She could not bear how deeply Lir loved them.

One day, while travelling near Lough Derravaragh, Aoife used druid magic to transform the four children into white swans. But the spell carried a cruel timetable:

* 300 years on Lough Derravaragh, Co Westmeath
* 300 years on the Sea of Moyle, between N Ireland and Scotland
* 300 years on the western seas near Mayo and Inishglora

Ballycastle is woven into the second part of the curse. The Sea of Moyle is the stormy channel beside the town, and local tradition says the swan-children endured bitter winters there, battered by waves and icy winds.

The legend grows darker and stranger as centuries pass. Kingdoms vanish. Forests become ruins. The children remain swans, singing songs so beautiful that warriors laid down weapons to listen. In many retellings, Fionnuala becomes the emotional keel of the story, sheltering her brothers beneath her wings during winter storms with their feathers freezing to the rocks of Moyle during the night seas.

Eventually, Christianity arrives in Ireland. A monk hears the swans singing church hymns, baptises them, and the spell finally breaks. But when they return to human form, the centuries rush upon them all at once. They become ancient and frail, dying soon after, together.

So folks - next time you gaze on the beautiful sculpture of the 4 swans in flight on Ballycastle foreshore - think of the tragic children of Lir. 🦢🦢🦢🦢

📷: Ballycastle sea front
The Children of Lir Sculpture

15/05/2026

Planning has been submitted for the former Bells Sports Shop at 38-40 Ann Street, Ballycastle.

The proposed mixed-use redevelopment would include a ground-floor office, retail unit, seven one-bedroom apartments, alongside bike and bin stores and amenity space.

The application marks another potential town centre redevelopment project for Ballycastle.

04/05/2026

Our Next Sale Is Now Online. . .

The catalogue for our next sale is now online, so take time to study it and remember you may also watch the virtual tour of the Saleroom on www.mcafeeauctions.com.
The sale takes place next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening the 21st to the 23rd, and viewing starts this Friday the 17th and Monday the 20th from 3.00-5.00 and 6.00-7.30pm, there is also a chance to view on Tuesday the first day of sale from 3.00-5.00.
It’s a major sale with “All Kinds Of Everything” so try and get an opportunity to view if you can.

The Auction Team.

27/01/2026

Ballycastle. Co Antrim. c 1960s. (©️courtesy/ Davies/Johnson)
https://www.facebook.com/share/12JeLcotfvu/?mibextid=wwXIfr

24/01/2026

🏰 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 🏰

Discover the rich history of this Early Christian site in the heart of the Glens of Antrim. Associated with Bishop Olcan and linked to St Patrick by tradition, the tower dates back to the 11th or 12th century and stands within the graveyard of Armoy Church.

📍 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Glenshesk Road, Armoy, BT53 8RJ
✨ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/heritage-sites/armoy-round-tower

23/01/2026

Three interesting photographs of the Ballycastle Railway Station after closure, taken in the late 1950's. The coaches in the top photograph were used as summer holiday accommodation for several years after closure; an early form of Airbnb!
Ballycastle Community Group C.I.C
Friends of Ballycastle Museum
Glens Of Antrim Historical Society
Armoy Community Association