Carrickfergus Heritage Hub: history of the town to be revealed in a series of talks

The pop-up hub will open on Saturday, May 11 at 11am, with Queen’s University Belfast archaeologist Ruairí Ó Baoill, the author of ‘Carrickfergus: The Story of the Castle and the Walled Town’ as the guest speaker.

Ruairí will be speaking about the forthcoming community dig at Shaftesbury Park by the Community Archaeology Programme NI.

Stakeholders, Carrickfergus and District Historical Society and Carrickfergus Museum have organised the pop-up shop to coincide with the excavation and to act as a heritage hub.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Society.

Following the opening event, the series of lunchtime talks continues throughout May until the start of June.

On Tuesday, May 14, Scott Ingram will examine ‘Carrick before the castle’, exploring the archaeology of the early medieval period and the Gaelic kingdoms that flourished on the northern shores of Belfast Lough in the period c. 400 – 1100 AD.

Wednesday, May 15 will feature Helen Johnston’s ‘Bound by Threads – a look at the design history of regalia’. Helen’s PhD research is revealing fascinating new information on how regalia is used and the stories they tell of migration, local and global production, gender roles and identity. The exhibition can be seen at Carrickfergus Museum until May 24.

Shirin Murphy from Carrickfergus Museum will speak on Thursday, May 16 about ‘Old Town Records: Insights into an invaluable historical resource’. The museum holds original records dating back to 1765, along with transcriptions of ‘ancient’ town records that no longer exist, describing events from 1569 to 1747.

Friday, May 17, will see Paul Logue’s talk on law and order in old Carrickfergus, while the following day, Saturday, May 18 will see Christopher Kenny share the story of the Result, the last surviving ship built in Carrickfergus’ forgotten shipyard.

On Tuesday, May 21, George McGrand will speak about the dynamic partnership of Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston, while on Wednesday, May 22, the topic will be Carrickfergus during the Second World War with Adrian Hack and Michael Fry.

On Thursday, May 23, Shirin Murphy will guide visitors through the many guises of the Town Hall site, while the stories of women transported from Carrickfergus gaol will be the focus of Helen Clarke’s talk on Friday, May 24.

Saturday, May 25 features Cormac McSparron on ‘Carrick before the castle – Discovering Early Medieval Ulster’, with Scott Ingram returning on Tuesday, May 28 for ‘Ireland’s first settlers and the evidence from Carrickfergus’.

Keith Hamilton will speak on Wednesday, May 29 on the Carrickfergus Townscape Heritage Initiative, revealing Insights into the town’s built heritage, while the great work of community interest company Positive Carrickfergus will be showcased by Lisa Rae Currie on Thursday, May 30.

More information on any of the talks is available on the council website.

The final events of the programme include a talk with Ron Bishop on Friday, May 31 on ‘Richard Kane: Forgotten Son of Carrickfergus?’, and the launch on Saturday, June 1 of Philip Hoy’s book ‘Place-names of Carrickfergus & Broadisland’.

Talks are free and will take place from 12.30 – 1pm at the Carrickfergus Heritage Hub, 2 Joymount, Carrickfergus.