fairhead

Google map link.

Creepy! MARY McANULTY AND THE GREY MAN'S PATH The Grey Man's Path is said to run from the shore to the plateau above Fair Head, though many refer to it starting at Marconi's Cottage and going on past Lough Dhu. There are lots of local stories surrounding the Grey Man's Path - one of these tells of a Mary McAnulty who lived beyond Lough Dhu above Fair Head, she always used the Grey Man's Path to come down to the shore for the purpose of collecting dulse at the base of Fair Head. One evening, she was returning home as usual with a full bag of dulse; along the way she had regular favourite spots to stop and take a rest from the hard climb, one of these was at the top of the gulley. As she rested there this evening she noticed in the twilight a figure of man approaching along the path, she noticed he had a limp, she paid no heed to him and started out on her way towards Lough Dhu where she would take another rest, the man caught up with her and walk beside her, in politeness Mary exchanged a few words with him about the weather, though she noticed his voice was different and not of the accents she was used too, she noticed too, in the falling light, that the his face was pale and expressionless below his coat hood. She did not want to stare but could almost swear that it was grey, but paid no more heed to this only to wondered who he was and from where he had come and what ailed him. They reached Lough Dhu and as she sat to take another rest, the stranger sat beside her. It was then that Mary noticed that his hair in the fading light looked a greenish colour and she could not resist but ask him why, he told her it was due to him having lived beneath the waters of Lough Dhu for many years, now this alarmed Mary a wee bit, for she thought he was either intoxicated or deranged, and neither did she care much for. The stranger said he was very tired and proceeded to rest his head on Mary's dulse bag and his head half ways on her lap and he fell asleep. Mary for a moment did not know what to do at this behaviour, bewildered she looked around as if to expect someone coming to her aid when she noticed that that the stranger had one foot in the shape of a broken horse hoof, now this put the fear into her and she squeezed her leg low enough to slip it out from below the strangers head and took off, her quiet steps turning into the thumps of a fearful run as her heart pounded and her mind waiting to be grabed from behind. As she got a fair distance away and within sight of her home she heard a spine chilling neighing coming from Lough Dhu, then it fell silent. Mary never came back along the Grey Man's Path at twilight again and every time she passed Lough Dhu she remembered her close encounter. The story goes that she had encountered the devil-horse that lives in Lough Dhu and wanders along the Grey Man's Path at twilight disguised as a human, waiting to lure some unsuspecting human into the underworld of Lough Dhu. So........ you've been warned!.........especially if you've take too long to walk round to Murlough Bay and twilight falls upon you!! And what is Dulse? Back

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Head "Fair Head is a rocky headland at the north-eastern corner of Northern Ireland, in County Antrim. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of Ballycastle town, and is the closest part of the mainland to Rathlin Island. It is a very highly-regarded rock-climbing location, and is believed to be the biggest expanse of climbable rock in either Ireland or Britain."

Moira Excellent story Mogey and a good one to scare the children with. Dulse is edible seaweed and as far as I am aware is what we always called "Dilisk (c?). Carol that dog does not look as though he has nerves of steel he looks like I would if I were forced across that at bayonet point!

By far the best Dog shot for a while.

I think the twin-funnel, tug-like vessel is pumping water out of the part-submerged vessel - the tug might be registered in Sunderland, but I can't make out the name

The cart on the jetty seems to be on a flat skid, which runs on rails along the jetty.

EDIT: The man behind the horse at the landward end of the jetty seems to be leaning on an empty skid - the cross-rail he's leaning on would support the shafts of the cart

The first edition Ordnance Survey 6" map shows lots of collieries along the coast between Fair Head and Ballycastle, so it seems likely that coal brought by cart to the jetty at Ballycastle, where the skids on the jetty allowed coal to be tipped directly into the ships.
The collieries seem to have worked the coastal cliffs and had great names:
Salt Pans Colliery
White Mine Colliery
Falbane Colliery
North Star Colliery
West Mine Colliery
Lagglass Colliery
Goldnamuck Colliery
Pollard Colliery
Griffin Colliery
Gobb Colliery
Portnagree Colliery

The wreck may well be that of the Grimsby steam trawler Starling which sank in the harbour in 1902.

www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/AntrimNorthList.htm

Rory Sherlock It could be George Lindsay Sunderland?

hmm with this size of a house, I think it would be called Bed and Breakfast nowadays!

It's a lovely old picture, thank you for sharing.

Do we know if this is Cork or Antrim?

derangedlemur Oops, sorry! Antrim now added to description (though it is in the tags)

FrigateRN You're very welcome, Colin! :)