Good size, friendly staff always willing to help. Only downside is its a bit out of the main town…read morein a bad area

We visited with grandkids who only wanted to run demonically around the grounds oblivious to Wu flu…read moreand its adverse impacts on life so we cheerfully obliged. Antrim castle and gardens are fabulous to see. Historically the castle was built by Sir Hugh Clotworthy and his son, Sir John Clotworthy, between 1610 and 1662. The name Clotworthy derived from Clotworthy near Wembworthy, Devon, England. As the surname suggests Sir Hugh and family weren't Irish natives, rather they gained land in Ireland in the Plantation of Ulster under the reign of James 1. Sir Hugh was a prominent politician during the Civil War. In 1660 he was created Baron Loughneugh (i.e. Lough Neagh) and Viscount Massereene in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his son-in-law Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet, of Fisherwick, the husband of his daughter the Hon. Mary Clotworthy, and in default thereof to his heirs general. Plantation is another term for colonisation and some half a million acres of land was handed over to settlers (planters) by the king. The settlers were mostly from Southern Scotland. The colonists were required to be Protestant, English-speaking, and loyal to the king in short not Irish. Imagine today taking half a million acres of Alaska and gifting the land deeds to Canadians. Anyway, back to today, with the effects of plantation still ever present and the Ulster Scots language on the playground fixtures the gardens feature a 17th century Anglo Dutch water garden, one of only three in the British Isles. They are over 410 years old with beautiful features such as the Large Parterre, Her Ladyship's Pleasure Garden and Yew Tree Pond. Within the heart of the gardens is the unique Clotworthy House also created by Clotworthy descendants the Massereene family. So it's not just a house and garden on the shore of Lough Neagh it's living history and part of the political fabric of a complex, scarred divided statelet. If you want an hour or two of serenity you'll find it here unless of course you happen to get close to our grandkids.

I did not know that Antrim had a castle, motte, walls, and a fairly extensive park. The kept that…read moreone quiet! Or maybe I just wasn't listening... Either way, we just so happened to stumble across the grounds, having come out the High Street side of Castle Mall (ahhh, that explains the name!) and dandered over to an interesting looking gate lodge type building. There was nothing to suggest what this area was, so we took a walk down a path, under an over-pass (graffitied to the max), and appeared in an open green space. I noticed a sign, and went over to look. Reference was made to a motte (so, that's what the huge mound was in front of us...), walls (the gatelodge etc) and castle. Oooh! Where was this castle?! Well apparently all that remains of it is a wall tower, which is really a shame, as I had been hoping for a proper, full-sized castle. Oh well. Unfortunately, grey clouds were looming over us, and rain was threatening, so we didn't get much further. However, the gardens are meant to be lovely, with a canal, ponds and walks, and I would love to go back to explore these further, on a more pleasant day of course. There is also a major regeneration project ongoing within the grounds at the minute, and into next year, so I can't wait to see how it will look after the makeover.

An excellent little library on the Carnmoney Road in Glengormley…read more It really is fantastically well stocked - I've taken notions for books and popped in to see, on the off chance, if they're there and they always have been to date. I often think that being a librarian would be my dream job, but after talking to, and dealing with, the staff here, I'm not sure that I'd have either the patience or knowledge to last. The internet access is spot-on, there are nice wee tables where you can sit in glorious, glorious peace and quiet to enjoy your selections. The best bit, should you have children - the kids' section is outstanding. Large, varied. I found my eldest, after a school outing, reading James & The Giant Peach from Glengormley Library and I nearly wept. Well done, library staff. Having rattled off all that praise, though - I haven't been in a couple of months because I am disorganised and owe them twenty quid for something I'd forgotten I had!

This is a small but excellently stocked library for its size. The staff here are possibly the…read morenicest people I've ever met. I came recently enquiring about a photography book and they practically bent over backwards to help me find what I was looking for. I love the warm, friendly feel in this library. There's also a great children's section. Everything is really well laid out and in a sensible order, unlike other libraries I've been to. There's internet access, you can sit and chill out while you browse through the books. If you need anything the staff really will go out of their way to help which is really nice. I know some librarians who think people who disrupt their routine should near enough be shot... its nothing like that in here. On their 'to read' range they have a great selection of books. Now I don't know who chooses these but sometimes I think they re reading my mind, its freaky! If you're from around here and haven't been in then I strongly recommend taking a look in. You never know what you might stumble across.

Attended here for a work course. It's well signposted off the main road and has ample free car…read moreparking. It's set in lush surrounds. Once you get through the signing in its a bit of a maze to get to the conference rooms on the ground floor. There Isa subsidised canteen-we never tried it but did have a cup of coffee. Then after the session it was home time!!

Chester Alan Arthur's father emigrated from Dreen in 1816 or 1817. This is the ancestral home of…read morethe 21st U.S. president. Dating from the 18th century, the farmhouse has been restored. The roof is thatched with flax straw. They have baking demonstrations and regular musical evenings.

Love this library, staff so friendly and helpful, which can not always be said for a library…read more They have a great kids section which is where we concentrated on and a lovely big alphabet rug. First class right in the town with all the normal services.

Ooh! A new Library! Yay! Geek that I am, I love finding me a lovely new library to lose hours of my…read morelife while I bury my head amongst all those wonderful books. Well, having an hour to waste recently in Larne I thought I'd take myself in here and see what they had on offer. Well, wasn't I impressed! The library is spacious, very well laid out and the staff were helpful and polite. When I called in there was a 'mother & baby' group on where the kids were being sang songs, played guitar and told stories. Awk now isn't that sweet! I was here looking for a photography book and handily the sections were all clearly marked out and easy to find. It wasn't long before I picked my selection and happily made my way toward to check out desk where the librarian talked to me about my choices and recommended another for me to have a look at. I love friendly personal customer service and I certainly got it here. Great library; lots of stock, helpful staff and well laid out.

The Dark Hedges, which was a filming location for the Game of Thrones, did not look as impressive…read morewhen we visited in late August 2025 as compared to the location's historical photographs. There were a lot of gaps in tree coverage. The reasons are documented in Wikipedia -- tree health, storm damage, and tourist vandalism. We were here for about 45 minutes, lingering longer so I could get some photographs; but 30 minutes might be a long visit for most people. An ultra-wide lens might be useful for one or two shots, but a normal zoom lens should be otherwise be fine. A rain sleeve would be helpful if your camera isn't water resistant. There's a small shed by the parking lot that sells Game of Thrones related merchandise, and a separate café with restrooms.

Reviews are correct its not all that. I dont mind paying for parking but so many people and so many…read moretrees gone. It was just very disappointing. We had been at Giants causeway and were heading north anyway. If I had went way out of my way I'd be mad. To get pics without people you would have to wait a long while and have nothing else on your list to do. So idiots even have been carving on the trees ....what's wrong with people . Or be good at editing and editing people out.

One of the oldest librarys in the north eastern area, staff are very friendly and cant do enough to…read morehelp you. they will order any books you ask for and will also do photocopying for a small fee. They now have computers out in the rear with net access for around £1, Listed building but very modern inside

Really nice library now with the bonus of having a computer suite and internet access for only a £1…read moreper hour. Not the biggest inside but any book you want will be ordered and you will get it the next day day. You can also hire cds and documentry dvds, staff are really nice and you can park right outside the door on the street or theres a car park at the back