This is the parish church of Billy in County Antrim, not far from Bushmills; it is two hundred years old, built in 1815 but there was a much older church here, going back centuries before. In fact there are records dating back over seven hundred years, and in the churchyard there is still some evidence of that old place of worship. It is a fascinating church with a most interesting graveyard.
The name, as you might guess is derived from a Gaelic word meaning sacred tree, which may suggest that this is a much older religious site, going back to pre-Christian times. It’s quite common for Christian churches to be built on or near formerly pagan holy places, as old yew trees can demonstrate! Yew trees were sacred in olden times, and are extremely long-lived and so may survive in churchyards indicating that the place has had sacred connections for millennia.
Lois Elsden 