Church of St. Patrick and St. Brigid, Ballycastle

History

The church serves the parish of Ramoan. A parish history written for the solemn blessing and re-dedication of the church in 1993 records, on the authority of the Tripartite Life of St Patrick, the founding of a church at Ramoan by St Patrick around 454, with the priest Erclach left in charge of it. Little is known of Erclach, whose festival was held on 3 March, but the site of his church is identified with Old Ramoan cemetery at the junction of the Novally and Whitehall roads.

The same account traces the parish name to Rath Modhain, the residence of a local chieftain named Modhain. A second church founded in the parish at Drumenia was placed under Enan, said to be Modhain's son. Reeves, quoted in the same account, judged the remains of an ancient chapel in the townland of Drumeeny in Glenshesk very probably to be that church.