Home Guided Tour Activities Food&Drink Accommodation Transport Other Links

Layd Church

Abandoned since 1790 the current building was established in 1306A.D. when it replaced an earlier religious house. Port Obe lies below and is still popular with fishermen today. The surrounding graveyard has several MacDonnell gravestones but the most spectacular is a fine example of a Celtic cross (shown above to the left) erected in the memory of Doctor James MacDonnell co-founder of a hospital in Belfast that was later to become the Royal Victoria Hospital.
I have visited this site during Easter and found it to a very calm serene place. Behind the church is a deep gully with a stream trickling peacefully by the beds of wild flowers in the shade of the tower trees.

Location

The church is accessible via two routes depending upon you preference of walking or driving.
To drive start at Cushendall village center (Curfew Tower) where you follow the road for the beach, along the way a road veers left and you can follow this for a short distance before coming upon a small car park on the right with a path leading to the church.
To walk, again start at Cushendall village center (Curfew Tower) where you follow the road for the beach only this time continue to the end of the road and park and follow the 1.5 mile footpath along the coast to the church.