Ballygally Bear

The Ballygally Bear is not a bear at all, but rather a rock painted like a polar bear with a smiling face. Each year the locals give it a fresh coat of paint and a new smile.

Not so much ancient history or archaeology as nostalgia and generations of a well known local landmark, the Ballygally Bear.

The Ballygally Bear is not a bear at all, but rather a rock painted like a polar bear with a smiling face. Each year the locals give it a fresh coat of paint and a new smile.

That nobody knows the bears origins or who first painted the rock is part of the mystery in the history! Many local families have their own tales around this endearing coastal feature that heralds your entry into Ballygally village.

Overlooking Ballygally Bay, with a small car park and slipway adjacent, the site offers stunning views across the bay towards the Glens of Antrim Headlands, Ballygally Castle, the rolling hills above of Scawt and across to O’Halloran’s castle ruins. If you’re lucky, you might spot a dolphin or a seal quietly swimming in the bay before you.

The Bear is situated on the A2 coast road, just beyond O’Haloran’s castle ruins and before the signs for Ballygally village approximately 5 miles from Larne Town.

Photo by Bill Guiller