4 The Diamond, Ballycastle BT54 6AW
The companion piece to the Antrim Arms Hotel just over the way, and it’s entirely fitting that the respective owners today are great friends and the best of neighbours. You can read in the Antrim Arms paragraph, when and why the Boyd Arms was built, but its use over the years has been a good deal more varied than its more illustrious big brother.
There’s a tunnel from its cellars across to the Church of Ease, and in days long gone, this was used by smugglers and illicit dealers in their trafficking. It’s no wonder they talk of the criminal underworld…..
There’s also a discreet side-exit to the street, narrow and sly, which must have assisted in many escape from the officers and customs men.
Inside the pub itself, look for the tiny little snug immediately beside the bar counter, with its own door and inside lock. This was used on cattle fair days for private deals and transactions and huge sums of money changed rough hands in this enclosed box. There’s a hatch through to behind the counter, and often the proprietor was asked to ‘hold the money.’ The present publican recalls how he was once handed £20,000 in notes through this opening, and was asked to hold it until the deal was settled the next day. It makes you wonder how cattle and sheep farmers can claim to be poor!!
There’s a darts and pool room at the back, popular with local teams, and beyond that, a third little room used for the overflow on Lammas Fair day. The Boyd Arms Hotel is a fine example of a market town farming pub, and the kind of place described by Hardy in THE WOODLANDERS or THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE.