Spooky Antrim

Pathway leading to the Shakey Bridge

One could find the keys to the graveyard here

I pass this old graveyard situated in Muckamore quite often and I've been keen to venture inside, however, the gates are chained and locked with a padlock. Only recently I learned that my cousin's maternal great grandmother was the grave keeper and if one wished to access the graves one had to knock on her door and ask for the keys! Sadly, the lady died recently and I am not sure who is in possession of the keys now, perhaps Antrim borough council. I believe the graveyard can be dated back to the 1700's, although I could be wrong and it could be even older than this, I only say 1700's because of a link I have posted here. The graveyard holds the remains of those who fought in the Battle of Antrim and servants of the Chaine family, who owned the mills. The graveyard is quite eerie looking with imposing monuments perched high upon a stone wall, as you can see from the photos. I long to get inside as old graveyards are an interest of mine (morbid?).

Across from the graveyard is a spooky looking 18th century house, which belonged to my cousin's great grandmother, I believe the inscription read 1723. Just down the road from the graveyard one can access the Six Mile River walk, one of many access points around Antrim, it is from this route one has to cross the Shakey Bridge, which is a bridge dating from around 1850 which allowed acess between the two mills. Of course, due to health and safety, the bridge was restored in 2005. This route from Muckamore in particular is one of the creepier ways to explore the river, the paths are overgrown with forestry and there is an eerie silence as one walks toward the old water wheel, which is fenced in to protect its rusting debris. I don't recommend taking this particular route alone, there is just something creepy about it, and I definitely don't recommend this pathway when it has been raining, the pathway is narrow and the river rushes past when in flood. If you wish to explore the Six Mile Water, now known as the Mill Race, there are various other routes, with widened paths which are always busy with other explorers.