Boats have been making the crossing between Greencastle and Magilligan for centuries as part of normal maritime trade and as part of the military control of the area.
The Chichester family took over control of Northburgh Castle in 1608 and maintained a ferry service between Greencastle and Magilligan to control commerce in the area.
In 1835, the Chichesters were operating 2 ferries on the crossing, 1 for livestock and goods and 1 for passengers.
The Ordnance Survey Memoirs, 1833 – 1835, report quantities of goods, livestock and home industry products, like wool, linen and yarn, being sent from this area to market in Coleraine.
Payment was by cash, or a portion of the goods being carried.
There were crude shelters / wind breaks built on the Magilligan side where prospective ferry passengers could take shelter if the ferry was delayed by bad weather.
In 1855, the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Company opened a station at Magilligan in 1853. A horse-drawn tram operated from this station to Magilligan Point.
A ferry service was maintained, on an irregular, on-demand, basis, by fishermen over the years. These services all operated out of the Ferry Port.
The car ferry service was established, from the main harbour, in 2002.
