Burial Grounds, Clare Road, Ballycastle, Co Antrim

This is a small burial ground situated near the cliff edge, adjacent to the former site of Clare Park (now demolished), off Clare Road in Ballycastle, County Antrim. The burial ground contains a memorial, dating from the 1920s to 1930s, commemorating Hugh McGildowney, a member of a longstanding family who resided at Clare Park. The memorial takes the form of a free interpretation of a Celtic cross, marking McGildowney's grave. On the cross is an emblem presumed to be derived from the Gildowney family’s coat of arms: a rampant lion carrying a pennant, with a scroll below bearing a short inscription. The inscription reads: “To the Beloved Memory / of / Hugh McCalmont McGildowney, Esq./ Of Clare Park / who lost his life through an accident / on the cliffs 25th May 1923.” The grave is enclosed by a stone kerb and an iron railing surrounding a rectangular plot. A low mound and some further kerbing are adjacent to the grave. It is said that Hugh McGildowney was killed falling from a horse near the cliff edge. The remains of Clare Park are now largely demolished, with only a three-story brick tower remaining. Clare Park was formerly the residence of the McGildowney family and previously served as the residence of the McDonnell family. The McGildowney family has Scottish and Irish origins.