Bushmills
Situated on the Causeway Coast, Bushmills is a small village just 2 miles north of the Giant’s Causeway. The centre of the town feels like a step back in time, reinforced by the Old Bushmills Distillery and its ancient shop frontages. Bushmills has the most historic listed buildings of any village or town in this part of County Antrim — 12 miles from Ballycastle and 7 miles from Coleraine.
The mills on the River Bush
Bushmills got its name in the 17th century from the River Bush, which rises in the Antrim Hills and flows to Portballintrae, where it meets the Atlantic. The mill was powered by this river in those days. Main Street, the narrow central road through the village, is lined with historic listed shops and houses, leading to “The Diamond” — the town’s war memorial at its heart. The MacNaghten family of Bushmills House reinvented Bushmills as a market village in the 1820s, formally established in 1828, with the Market Square forming around 1840. Seven active water-powered mills once ran along the river.
Old Bushmills Distillery
Bushmills had five licensed distilleries in 1788. The Old Bushmills Distillery Company Limited — where Bushmills Irish whiskey (not whisky; that’s Scottish) is still distilled today — remains a major visitor attraction. The first licence to distil in the area was granted in 1608 by King James I & VI, making Bushmills the oldest licensed distillery in the world by the commonly cited account. The current distillery building dates to the Victorian era, built in the late 1800s. Tours run regularly, walking visitors through triple distillation and single malt production.
Bushmills produces a range of whiskeys, including Bushmills Original — a smooth, versatile triple-distilled blend matured in bourbon and sherry casks, giving fresh fruit and vanilla notes — and Black Bush, a high-malt content whiskey matured in Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks, prized by seasoned Irish whiskey drinkers for its rich, fruity depth.
The Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway
The narrow-gauge railway winds through the dunes above Runkerry Strand on its 15–20 minute journey between Bushmills and the Giant’s Causeway — a real treat for train enthusiasts and a memorable trip for visitors of any age. Full detail on our railway page.
Places of interest in Bushmills
Shell Row — cottages built by the MacNaghtens in the early 1800s for workers on the Dundarave Estate.
The Alphabet Angel — a bronze sculpture created in 2004 by artist Ross Wilson with the local community, representing the Ulster-Scots dialect — the first bronze sculpture anywhere in the world to celebrate it.
The Market Square & Clock Tower — built by the MacNaghtens around 1840 as the focal point of their new market town, and the site of the twice-yearly hiring fair. The clock tower is modelled on a classic round tower, built in 1874.
The War Memorial — stands in the Market Square, commemorating those from Bushmills lost in both World Wars, with a special plaque for Sergeant Robert Quigg, who won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Somme. The sculpture atop the memorial was created by Charles Hartwell ARA and unveiled in 1921.
The Courthouse — built in 1834 as a centre for local authorities, with police apartments and jail cells, used for petty sessions well into the 20th century. A local enterprise agency received a £5.1 million grant in 2019 to redevelop it into a creative-industries hub.
The Mills — Palmer and Bonner Mills are the only surviving corn mills on the River Bush, both carefully restored with working water wheels. At its peak, seven water-wheel-driven mills ran in Bushmills; the last ceased in the 1960s.
The Salmon Fishery — since the early 1970s, the Bushmills Salmon Research Station has monitored the salmon population in the River Bush, and is now an internationally recognised research facility for long-term salmon stock data.
Bushmills Memorial School — built in 1927, designed by architect Clough Williams-Ellis, who served with the Welsh Guards and Royal Tank Regiment in the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross. He went on to design several prominent war memorials of the era. He’s best known for creating Portmeirion in Snowdonia, Wales — used as the filming location for the 1967 cult TV series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan.