Ballygally Castle

Ballygally Castle is a compact Scottish Baronial tower house built in 1649 on the County Antrim coast, about three miles north of Larne — one of the few surviving plantation-era buildings in Northern Ireland still largely intact. It dates from the period of organised Scottish settlement across Ulster, and its square tower, battlements, and narrow windows are a tangible remnant of that colonial chapter. Now operating as a hotel, the castle overlooks the North Channel and the Scottish coastline beyond on clear days. Its ghost room in the original tower is said to be haunted by Lady Isabella Shaw, who, according to local legend, fell from the window in the 17th century after being locked in by her husband — a story that has made Ballygally one of Northern Ireland's most talked-about haunted buildings.