The House of McDonnell has been in the caring hands of Tom and Eileen O’Neill since 1979 and in Tom’s mother’s family for generations before that, they can even tell you not just the year, but the month the pub first opened (April 1766).
Tom and Eileen delight in sharing the history of their long, narrow premises with its tiled floor and mahogany bar: it was once a traditional grocery-bar, and is now a listed building. The only real change in the last hundred years or so, says Tom, was the addition of a toilet block.
They have a good traditional music session every Friday and love to see musicians coming along and joining in.
As Tom and Eileen rightly take pride in the fact that this is the only old bar in Ballycastle to have resisted ‘refurbishment and makeover’, you can rest assured that any changes will be completed with a very light touch.
They're usually open from 11 am until "late" at weekends, but only in the evenings midweek, although times might vary in winter; it's worth checking out at weekends anyway, all year. Not suitable for children after 8pm.
