Ballymoney’s town centre has an unusually dense cluster of churches for its size, reflecting the town’s long history as a market centre drawing settlers and congregations from across denominations.
In the town centre
- Ballymoney First Presbyterian Church, Meeting House Street — the oldest place of worship still in use in the town, built in 1777 to replace an earlier 1690 meeting house. Often called “the Cathedral of Presbyterianism in the Route.” The east window carries the coats of arms of the regiments its congregation served in during the First World War.
- St James’s Presbyterian Church, St James Road — opened 20 March 1836 by the noted Rev Dr Henry Cooke, a well-proportioned basalt “barn” church.
- Ballymoney Reformed Presbyterian Church, Charlotte Street — the local Covenanter congregation, tracing back to 18th-century Covenanter societies at Kilraughts, Dervock, and Ballymoney. Built 1831, refurbished several times since (most recently 2003); services still follow the old Presbyterian tradition of unaccompanied metrical psalms led by a precentor.
- Trinity Presbyterian Church, Rodeing Foot — moved to its current site in the 1840s, led for over fifty years (1869–1925) by Rev. J.B. Armour, whose name it still carries locally as “Armour’s Meeting House.”
- Ballymoney Methodist Church, Seymour Street — founded as a mission in 1859 by Rev William Crook, the current church building opened in 1861, with renovations in 1954–55, 1987, and 1993.
- St Patrick’s Parish Church, Church Street — the Church of Ireland congregation here since 1782, enlarged in 1868 when its spire was added.
- Church of Our Lady & St Patrick, Castle Street — dedicated 2 June 1878, replacing an earlier 1794 building; its interior includes a Caen-stone pulpit and altar, and stained glass by the renowned Franz Meyer Studio of Munich. Playwright George Shiels is buried in the churchyard.
The Old Church Tower — the oldest surviving structure in the town, standing since 1637 — marks where the earliest place of worship in Ballymoney stood; see Historic Sites Around Ballymoney for more.
Visiting
Most of these churches are active congregations, not museum pieces — check individual service times before visiting if you want to see the interiors, and be respectful of active worship schedules.