Drumahaman Bridge, Drumavoley/Drumahaman Tls, Ballycastle, Co.Antrim

Drumahaman Bridge is a four-arch masonry road bridge constructed in the later 18th century, spanning the Glenshesk River just above its confluence with the Carey River on the south-east outskirts of Ballycastle, County Antrim. The bridge is built in squared rubble blackstone with dressed sandstone voussoirs to the arches.

The bridge comprises four arches of equal size, although only three span the river itself; the fourth arch on the left (east) bank remains dry under normal conditions. Cutwaters rise from both ends of the piers to arch spring level. The parapets and approach walls are slightly advanced beyond the faces of the arches. The parapets were originally coped with chamfered and sloped sandstone blocks; these survive only at the west end of the upstream parapet, with the remainder replaced in mass concrete of identical profile. The parapets on the east approach walls step down in alignment with the descending road.

The river bed is now concreted, though it was probably paved originally. A small vertical fall beyond the downstream face serves to slow water flow and minimise scouring. At the north-west end of the bridge is a stepped concrete outfall from a drain. A concrete buttress has been added to the face of the east approach wall on its north side.

The rubble masonry construction and lack of ornamentation are typical of 18th and early 19th century bridges. Apart from the concrete parapet copings and later additions, the fabric survives in a largely unaltered state. The 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir describes it as a plain bridge "50ft long, 22ft wide and consists of four semi-circular arches. It is in very good order". A road is shown crossing the river hereabouts on Taylor and Skinner's 1777 road map, although this may represent a ford or timber bridge rather than the present stone structure. The bridge is explicitly captioned on the 1857 Ordnance Survey map and subsequent editions.

The bridge crosses the flood plain of the Glenshesk River before its confluence with the Carey River, which flows in from the east. A golf course occupies the east bank, now divided by the main road. The steeper west bank is wooded to the south-west of the bridge, with a house and garden beyond its north-west end. The bridge is of local interest and has long facilitated social and economic interactions along the Glenshesk Valley.