Pop-Up Heritage Hub Exhibition

Carrickfergus Heritage Hub (2 Joymount, Carrickfergus)

11 May - 1 June 2024

Carrickfergus Museum and Carrickfergus & District Historical Society (C&DHS) will be displaying a wide range of fascinating projects they have jointly delivered this May - including an exhibition on old Co. Antrim gaol.

Drop in for a cup of tea and chat, explore the displays, share your memories of the town and find out more about the area’s unique heritage!

You can also take part in an interactive quiz or even a treasure hunt challenge - with a tasty prize draw! or try your luck at Cattle Battle a new board developed as part of a community engagement project looking at ‘Carrick before the Castle’.

Call in any lunchtime and hear a bite-size talk on a local topic - by a range of speakers including museum staff, C&DHS members, archaeologists, and other academics.

Talks are free and will take place 12.30pm – 1pm.

For further information, contact carrickfergusmuseums@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or T: 028 9335 8241

Tuesday 14 May 2024

Scott Ingram

Carrick before the castle – The archaeology of Early Medieval settlement (c 400.1100AD)

Everyone is familiar with John De Courcy’s conquest of eastern Ulster and the construction of Carrickfergus Castle, but what did settlement in the Carrickfergus area look like before the Anglo-Normans?

This talk explores 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.

This is Ireland’s first historically documented period, and it saw the arrival of Christianity and literacy, great artistic achievements such as the Book of Kells, the development of monastic centres, the arrival of the Vikings, and the beginnings of urban settlement.

Wednesday 15 May 2024

Helen Johnston

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.

See the exhibition at Carrickfergus Museum until 24 May 2024.

Thursday 16 May 2024

Shirin Murphy

Old Town Records: Insights into an invaluable historical resource

The museum holds original records dating back to 1765.

There are also transcriptions of ‘ancient’ town records that no longer exist, describing events from 1569 to 1747.

It’s our only way of knowing what the Corporation was up to in those days!

These, plus the later records make for fascinating reading.

Friday 17 May 2024

Paul Logue

Law and order in old Carrickfergus

From physical assaults to theft, slander and trespass, Old Carrickfergus had its share of law and order problems.

Hear about some of the judgements and court cases citizens faced 400-500 years ago in St. Nicholas Church and the Tholsel at the end of High Street.

Listen to stories of bad tempered outbursts, arguments over inches of land, and empowered women citizens unafraid to take and win legal action against men.         

Saturday 18 May 2024

Christopher Kenny

The Last Carrick Built Ship

The last surviving ship built in Carrickfergus’ forgotten shipyard; the Result is a tall ship like no other with 130 years worth of stories from life as a workhorse, film star to fighting U-Boats in the First World War.

Tuesday 21 May 2024

George McGrand

Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston: How two men with origins firmly rooted in South East Antrim changed America for ever.

From the American Revolution to the American Civil War.

The dynamic partnership of Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston was to change the military, political, civil and physical landscapes of America in such a profound way that it echoes through history to the present day.

Wednesday 22 May 2024

Adrian Hack and Michael Fry

Carrickfergus during the Second World War

Adrian will talk about how the factories in Carrickfergus adapted to produce items for the war effort, and the significance of the Army Camps in the town which accommodated British, American and Belgian troops.

In advance of the talk, Michael Fryer from the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum in Belfast will be bringing along objects and photographs from the museum's collection relating to the Second World War in Northern Ireland.

Thursday 23 May 2024

Shirin Murphy

The many lives of the Town Hall site – a journey through the history of one of Carrickfergus’ oldest sites.

Friday 24 May 2024

Scott Ingram

Ireland’s first settlers and the evidence from Carrickfergus

10, 000 years ago, as the last Ice Age came to an end amid a changing climate and environment, the first permanent human settlement of Ireland began.

This talk will explore how these hunter-gatherers first came to Ireland, how they lived, and the evidence they left behind, including that from the Carrickfergus area.

Saturday 25 May 2024

Cormac McSparron

Carrick before the castle – Discovering Early Medieval Ulster

Tuesday 28 May 2024

Helen Clarke

Transported for life?

Stories of women transported from Carrickfergus gaol.

Wednesday 29 May 2024

Keith Hamilton

Carrickfergus Townscape Heritage Initiative - Revealing Insights into the town’s built heritage.

Keith Hamilton is currently managing the completion of the Carrickfergus Town Scape Heritage Initiative which supported the restoration of 10 buildings of heritage in Carrickfergus town centre.

He will share during the lunch time talk about the project, its unique challenges and legacy.

Thursday 30 May 2024

Lisa Rae Currie       

Positive Carrickfergus

Showcasing the work of the community interest company that’s making Carrickfergus the place to be.

Friday 31 May 2024

Ron Bishop  

Richard Kane: Forgotten Son of Carrickfergus?

Also showcasing Carrickfergus Museum’s facsimile atlas c.1700

"The extraordinary story of a Carrickfergus man who spent half his adult life fighting the spread of Catholic influence in Ireland and Europe and the other half fighting for the well-being of the Catholic people of Menorca, laying a foundation for today’s tourist industry.

"And there was the small matter of an atlas..."

Saturday 1 June 2024

Book launch: Place-names of Carrickfergus & Broadisland by Philip Hoy

Place-names are all around us and each one tells a story.

Dig through the layers of history and explore over 470 unique place-names in the Carrickfergus and Broadisland area.

Discover the meaning behind place-names from various languages including Irish, Ulster Scots and several forms of English

For further information and booking contact, T: 028 9335 8241 or E: carrickfergusmuseums@midandeastantrim.gov.uk