Carrickfergus
Encyclopedia
Carrickfergus known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...

, 11 miles (17.7 km) from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. The town had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 27,201 at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

 and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king of Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...

. It is County Antrim's oldest town and one of the oldest settlements in Northern Ireland as a whole. Carrickfergus is the administrative centre for Carrickfergus Borough Council
Carrickfergus Borough Council
Carrickfergus Borough Council is a district council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The council headquarters are in Carrickfergus and the council administers the town, on the north shore of Belfast Lough, and surrounding area, which extends from Greenisland in the south-west to Whitehead in...

 and forms part of the Belfast Metropolitan Area
Belfast Metropolitan Area
The Belfast Metropolitan Area is a grouping of council areas which include commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a population of 579,276. The area was first officially classified as a Metropolitan area in the late 1990s when the Government began to prepare for a cohesive...

.

The town is the subject of the classic Irish folk song
Folk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...

 "Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus (song)
"Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song. The origins of the song are unclear, but it has been traced to an Irish language song, "Do bhí bean uasal" , which is attested to the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, who died in 1745 in County Clare.The song appears on a ballad sheet in Cork City in the mid...

", a 19th century translation of an Irish-language song (Do Bhí Bean Uasal) from Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

, which begins with the words, "I wish I was in Carrickfergus."

The British peerage title of Baron Carrickfergus
Baron Carrickfergus
Baron Carrickfergus is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, referring to Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Its current holder since its creation on 29 April 2011 is H.R.H. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, who was granted the title as a personal gift by Queen Elizabeth II...

, which had become extinct in 1883, was bestowed upon Prince William on his wedding day on 29 April 2011.

History

As an urban settlement, Carrickfergus far pre-dates the capital city Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and was for a lengthy period both larger and more prominent than the nearby city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

. Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...

 itself was known as 'Carrickfergus Bay' well into the 17th century. Carrickfergus and the surrounding area was, for a time, treated as a separate county, although it is today part of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

.

The historical walled town originally occupied a 300 square metre area, which now comprises the town centre, bordered by Albert Road to the west and Joymount in the east. Segments of the town wall are still visible in various parts of the town and in various states of preservation. Archaeological excavations close to the walls' foundations have yielded many artefacts that have helped historians piece together a picture of the lives of the 12th and 13th century inhabitants.

In the 6th century, Fergus, the son of Eric of Armoy, left the province of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 to form a kingdom in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. Upon returning to Ulster some time afterwards, his ship ran aground on a volcanic dyke by the shore, which became loosely known as "Carraig Fhearghais" – the rock of Fergus.

Carrickfergus became an inhabited town shortly after 1170, when Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...

 knight John de Courcy
John de Courcy
John de Courcy was a Anglo-Norman knight who arrived in Ireland in 1176. From then until his expulsion in 1204, he conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the Cistercians and built strongholds at Dundrum Castle in County...

 invaded Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

, established his headquarters in the area and built Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best...

 on the "rock of Fergus" in 1177. The castle, which is the most prominent landmark of Carrickfergus, is widely known as one of the best-preserved Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 castles in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

Sometime between 1203 and 1205, De Courcy was expelled from Ulster by Hugh de Lacy
Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster
125px|right|thumb|[[coat of arms|Arms]] of Hugh de LacyHugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster was the younger son of Hugh de Lacy, and founded the Earldom of Ulster....

, as authorised by King John. de Lacy oversaw the final construction of the castle, which included the gatehouse, drum towers and outer ward. It was at this time that he established the nearby St Nicholas' Church. de Lacy was relieved of his command of the town in 1210, when King John himself arrived and placed the castle under royal authority. de Lacy eventually regained his title of Earl of Ulster in 1227, however the castle and its walled town were captured several more times following his death (in 1242) and the town largely destroyed by the Scots in 1402.

The Battle of Carrickfergus, part of the Nine Years War, took place in and around the town in November 1597. It was fought between the crown forces of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 and the Scots clan of MacDonnell
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...

, and resulted in a defeat for the English. A contemporary Elizabethan illustration of Carrickfergus shows ten tower-houses, as well as terraces of single-storey houses, some detached cottages and 70 or more Irish beehive-type huts in the town.
Sir Arthur Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester , known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester, was an English administrator and soldier, best known as the Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1604 to 1615.- Early life :...

 was appointed by the Earl of Essex to govern the castle and town in 1599 and was responsible for the plantation
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...

 of English and Scottish peoples in the town, as well as the building of the town wall.

In 1637 the Surveyor General of Customs issued a report compiled from accounts of customs due from each port and their "subsidiary creeks". Of the Ulster ports on the list, Carrickfergus was first, followed by Bangor
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...

, Donaghadee
Donaghadee
Donaghadee is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles south east of Bangor. It had a population of 6,470 people in the 2001 Census...

, and Strangford
Strangford
Strangford is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 people at the 2001 Census.On the other side of the lough is Portaferry and there is a ferry service between the two villages...

. In the same year the town sold its customs rights - which ran from Groomsport
Groomsport
Groomsport is a village and townland two miles north east of Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the south shore of Belfast Lough and on the north coast of the Ards Peninsula...

 in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

 up to Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...

 in County Antrim - to Belfast and this in part led to its decline in importance as the province of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 grew.
Nevertheless, the decaying castle withstood several days of siege by the forces of William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

 in 1689, before surrendering on 28 August. William himself subsequently landed at Carrickfergus on 14 June 1690. During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

, in February 1760, the whole town was briefly captured
Battle of Carrickfergus (1760)
The Battle of Carrickfergus took place in February 1760 in Carrickfergus, Kingdom of Ireland during the Seven Years War. A force of 600 French troops landed under the command of the Privateer François Thurot overwhelmed the small garrison of the town and captured its castle.When word of the capture...

 and held to ransom by French troops landed from Francois Thurot
François Thurot
François Thurot was a French privateer, merchant naval captain and smuggler who terrorised British shipping in the early part of the Seven Years' War....

's naval squadron, after the defenders ran out of ammunition.

In April 1778, during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...

, in command of the American ship Ranger
USS Ranger
USS Ranger is a historic name in the United States Navy, and has been used by one ship of the Continental Navy and nine ships of the U.S. Navy:* The first was an 18-gun ship sloop built in 1777 and commanded by John Paul Jones...

, attempted to capture a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

 Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 sloop of war, HMS Drake
HMS Drake (1777)
HMS Drake was a twenty-gun sloop-of-war of the Royal Navy. Originally named Resolution, she was purchased in 1777. She served in the American Revolutionary War, and on 24 April 1778, off Carrickfergus, Ireland, she fought the North Channel naval duel with the 18-gun sloop Ranger of the Continental...

, moored at Carrickfergus. Having failed, he returned a few days later and challenged Drake to a fight out in the North Channel
North Channel (British Isles)
The North Channel is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland...

 which the Americans won decisively
North Channel naval duel
The North Channel naval duel was a single-ship action between the United States Continental Navy sloop of war Ranger and the British Royal Navy sloop of war Drake on the evening of 24 April 1778...

.

In 1912 the people of Carrickfergus turned out in their thousands to watch as the RMS Titanic made its first ever journey up the lough
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...

 from its construction dock in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. The famous passenger liner was anchored overnight just off the coast of Carrickfergus, before continuing on its journey.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Northern Ireland was an important military base for United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Naval and Air Operations and a training ground for American G.I.s. The First Battalions of the elite US Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...

 were activated and based in Carrickfergus for their initial training. The US Rangers Centre in nearby Boneybefore
Boneybefore
Boneybefore is an area of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the A2 road and Belfast Lough.It is home to the Andrew Jackson Centre , the ancestral home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States...

 pays homage to this period in history.

Recent History

In the 1970s, the town became an important centre for the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

 industry. An ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...

 man-made fibres factory was opened at Kilroot
Kilroot
Kilroot is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Eden, on the outskirts of Carrickfergus on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. It is within the Carrickfergus Borough Council area.-History:...

 and was followed by the Rothman's cigarette factory. Courtaulds
Courtaulds
Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...

 operated a large rayon works there until the 1980s. It now is a centre for leisure sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

, and is home to Carrickfergus Marina
Carrickfergus Marina
Carrickfergus Waterfront is an area of Carrickfergus situated on the north shore of Belfast Lough, which includes two harbour facilities, several restaurants and bars and promenade areas....

 and Carrickfergus Sailing Club
Carrickfergus Sailing Club
Carrickfergus Sailing Club is located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland on the north shore of Belfast Lough.The club was originally founded in 1866....

. The town is part of the Greater Belfast
Greater Belfast
Greater Belfast is an area surrounding and including Belfast in Northern Ireland.It includes Belfast and parts of the North Down, Lisburn, Castlereagh and Newtownabbey district council areas. Greater Belfast is the largest urban area in Northern Ireland, and second largest in Ireland...

 conurbation, being 11 miles (17.7 km) from Belfast city centre
Belfast City Centre
Belfast city centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the Cathedral Quarter...

.

On 8 September 2007, Carrickfergus was the Northern Irish host for the Last Night at the Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...

, featuring Alison Balsom
Alison Balsom
Alison Louise Balsom is an English trumpet soloist.-Early life:Balsom was born in Hertfordshire. She attended the Tannery Drift Primary School, then the Greneway Middle School and the Meridian School, all in Royston, Hertfordshire...

, Alfie Boe
Alfie Boe
Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe, known professionally initially as Alf or Alfred Boe and now as Alfie Boe, , is an English tenor.-Background:...

, and Ulster conductor Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery OBE is a British conductor, the only child of Lily and Tom Montgomery. His upbringing was in Wandsworth Parade and he attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. His musical studies were at the Royal College of Music...

.

The Troubles

Throughout the course of The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

, there was a reasonably large paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....

 presence in the town, namely the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...

.
  • 1 May 1972 a protestant, David Currie was killed as the result of an IRA
    Irish Republican Army
    The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...

     bomb at Courtaulds factory.
  • 20 January 1974 a catholic, Desmond Mullan was shot by loyalists at Maple Gardens.
  • 12 October 1974 a catholic, Michael McKenzie was shot by loyalists at Ellis Street.
  • 17 June 1994 a catholic, Gerald Brady was shot by the UVF at Blackthorn Park.

Demographics

Carrickfergus is classified by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a large town (i.e. population between 18,000 and 75,000 people) and within the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 27,201 people living in Carrickfergus. Of these:
  • 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 15.9% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.6% of the population were male and 51.4% were female
  • 7.8% were from a Roman Catholic community background and 86.1% were from the Protestant or other Christian community backgrounds.
  • 3.6% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

Historical

  • Robert Adrain
    Robert Adrain
    Robert Adrain was a scientist and mathematician, considered one of the most brilliant mathematical minds of the time in America....

     (1775–1843), mathematician, considered one of the best mathematical minds of his time, was born in Carrickfergus
  • Andrew Jackson
    Andrew Jackson
    Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

    , 7th President of the United States
    President of the United States
    The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

    , was born in 1767 in the predominantly Scots-Irish Waxhaws
    Waxhaws
    The Waxhaws is a geographical area on the border of North and South Carolina.-Geography:The Waxhaws region is in the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina, southwest of the Uwharrie Mountains. The region encompasses an area just south of Charlotte, North Carolina, to Lancaster, South...

     area on the border of North Carolina
    North Carolina
    North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

     and South Carolina
    South Carolina
    South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

     two years after his parents left Boneybefore
    Boneybefore
    Boneybefore is an area of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the A2 road and Belfast Lough.It is home to the Andrew Jackson Centre , the ancestral home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States...

    , near Carrickfergus. A heritage centre in the village
    Andrew Jackson Centre
    The Andrew Jackson Centre, also known as the Andrew Jackson Cottage, is the ancestral home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States...

     pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the "People's President".
  • Sir John Jamison
    John Jamison
    Sir John Jamison was an important Australian physician, pastoralist, banker, politician, constitutional reformer and public figure....

     (1776–1844), naval surgeon, physician and, later, an important Australian land-owning pioneer and constitutional reformer, was from Carrickfergus.
  • Richard Kane (1662–1736), British general, governor of Minorca
    Minorca
    Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....

     and Gibraltar
    Gibraltar
    Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

    , was from Carrickfergus. Minorca Place in the town is named for him.
  • William Orr
    William Orr
    William Orr was a member of the United Irishmen who was executed in 1797 in what was widely believed at the time to be "judicial murder" and whose memory led to the rallying cry “Remember Orr” during the 1798 rebellion.-Background:...

    , United Irishman was hanged in Carrickfergus on 14 October 1797 for his part in the failed rebellion.
  • Jonathan Swift
    Jonathan Swift
    Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...

    , the poet
    Poet
    A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

     and satirist
    Satire
    Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

     lived in Kilroot
    Kilroot
    Kilroot is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Eden, on the outskirts of Carrickfergus on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. It is within the Carrickfergus Borough Council area.-History:...

    , on the outskirts of the town, and wrote A Tale of a Tub
    A Tale of a Tub
    A Tale of a Tub was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift, composed between 1694 and 1697 and published in 1704. It is arguably his most difficult satire, and perhaps his most masterly...

    there.
  • Charlotte Riddell
    Charlotte Riddell
    Charlotte Riddell aka Mrs J.H. Riddell was a one of the most popular and influential writers of the Victorian period. The author of 56 books, novels and short stories, she was also part owner and editor of the St...

    , born Charlotte Eliza Lawson Cowan (1832). One of the most popular and influential writers of the Victorian period. The author of 56 books, novels and short stories, she was also part owner and editor of the St. James's Magazine, one of the most prestigious literary magazines of the 1860s. Also known as Mrs J H Riddell.

20th century

  • Daniel Cambridge
    Daniel Cambridge
    Daniel Cambridge VC born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.Cambridge was 35 years old and a Bombardier in the...

     VC and James Crichton
    James Crichton (VC)
    James Crichton VC was a soldier in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award of the British Commonwealth for gallantry "in the face of the enemy", during the First World War...

     VC were born in Carrickfergus
  • Hugh McCarthy, the notable literary enthusiast mentioned Carrickfergus in his poem 'Town of Despair'.
  • Dave Finlay
    Dave Finlay
    David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...

    , WWE wrestler
  • Sean Lester (1888–1959) was born in Carrickfergus. He was the last Secretary General of the League of Nations
    League of Nations
    The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...

    , from 1940-1946.
  • Louis MacNeice
    Louis MacNeice
    Frederick Louis MacNeice CBE was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco...

    's family moved to the town when the poet was two years old (his father was appointed Rector of St Nicholas' Church of Ireland
    Church of Ireland
    The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

     Church), and he left at the age of ten to attend boarding school in England. One of MacNeice's most well-known poems, Carrickfergus (1937), relates his ambiguous feelings about the town where he spent his early boyhood.
  • Patrick Joseph Kelly
    Patrick Joseph Kelly
    Patrick Joseph Kelly born Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was the head of the Tyrone Brigade and the Commander of the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army during the mid 1980s until his death in a Special Air Service ambush at Loughgall, County Armagh in May...

     IRA volunteer and commander of the East Tyrone Brigade killed by the SAS in Loughgall
    Loughgall
    Loughgall is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 285 people.Loughgall was named after a small nearby loch. The village is at the heart of the apple-growing industry and is surrounded by orchards. Along the village's main street...

     was born in Carrickfergus

Contemporary

  • Neighbours
    Neighbours
    Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...

    actress Jackie Woodburne
    Jackie Woodburne
    Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...

     was born in Carrickfergus in 1957.
  • Giselle Allen, the soprano
    Soprano
    A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...

     currently resides in Carrickfergus and performed at The Last Night of the Proms
    The Proms
    The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...

     when it took place in the town in 2007, singing the folk song Carrickfergus
    Carrickfergus (song)
    "Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song. The origins of the song are unclear, but it has been traced to an Irish language song, "Do bhí bean uasal" , which is attested to the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, who died in 1745 in County Clare.The song appears on a ballad sheet in Cork City in the mid...

    .
  • Crime novelist Adrian McKinty
    Adrian McKinty
    Adrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1968 and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford...

     was born and grew up in Carrickfergus.
  • Kristina Grimes, the runner up in the final of the third series
    The Apprentice (UK Series Three)
    Series Three of The Apprentice was a television series which aired in the UK on BBC One. The series began on 28 March 2007 and finished on 13 June 2007, with Simon Ambrose as the winner. Ambrose's prize was to work on a project to develop a hotel and golfing complex near Stansted Airport, whilst...

     of the British
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

     version of The Apprentice
    The Apprentice (UK)
    The Apprentice is a British reality television series in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a £100,000-a-year job as an apprentice to the British business magnate Lord Sugar in series one to six...

     once lived in the town.
  • Stuart Robinson
    Stuart Robinson
    Stuart Robinson is a Northern Ireland broadcaster with Cool FM and Downtown Radio, he had previously been a founding member and the longest running presenter on rival station Belfast CityBeat since 1996 before his defection in 2010.He has won and been nominated for a number top industry awards, he...

     host of Northern Ireland's Young Star Search
    Young Star Search
    The Young Star Search is a kids' talent radio competition based in Northern Ireland and is the current holder of the New York Festival Gold Award for best global radio station promotion. It was also nominated two years running at the UK Arqiva Radio Awards...

     and presenter on Cool FM
    Cool FM
    97.4 Cool FM is a commercial radio station, based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, owned and operated by Bauer Radio and part of the Big City Network. The station began broadcasting in 1990 when its parent station Downtown Radio ceased simulcasting and split its AM and FM frequencies into two...

    .
  • Former WWE wrestler Dave Finlay
    Dave Finlay
    David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...

     was born and raised in the satellite village of Greenisland
    Greenisland
    Greenisland is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 7 miles north-east of Belfast and 3 miles south-west of Carrickfergus. The village is on the coast of Belfast Lough and is named after a tiny islet to the west, the Green Island....

    .
  • Ryan Eagleson
    Ryan Eagleson
    Ryan Logan Eagleson is a former Irish cricketer.A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he made his debut for the Ireland cricket team against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI at Arundel Castle in June 1995 and went on to play for them on 65 occasions in all, his last match coming...

    , Derbyshire and Irish international cricketer, 65 caps for Ireland 1995-2004.
  • Jimmy Hill (Norwich City) and Billy McCullough
    Billy McCullough
    William James "Billy" McCullough is a Northern Ireland former footballer.Born in Carrickfergus, McCullough first played for Portadown, before being signed in 1958 by London club Arsenal. A left back, he soon made his debut for the club, against Luton Town on 26 December 1958...

     (Arsenal), Northern Ireland international footballers born in Carrickfergus.
  • Willie Irvine
    Willie Irvine
    William John "Willie" Irvine is a former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Born in Eden, County Antrim, into a large family, he grew up in the nearby town of Carrickfergus. He did well at school, but chose to pursue a career in professional football and initially played for...

     (Burnley) and Bobby Irvine
    Bobby Irvine (footballer born 1942)
    Bobby Irvine was a former football player for Linfield and Stoke.His younger brother Willie was a star striker for Burnley in the sixties.He shares the same name as Bobby Irvine, who played for Everton and represented Ireland.-Linfield:...

     (Stoke City), Northern Ireland international footballers who were born in nearby Eden
    Eden, County Antrim
    Eden is a residential settlement on the eastern edge of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located within a larger electoral ward area of the same name...

     before moving to Carrickfergus.
  • Niamh Kavanagh
    Niamh Kavanagh
    Niamh Kavanagh is an Irish singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1993.Kavanagh is perhaps best known for winning Eurovision Song Contest 1993, held in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to clinch a second consecutive win for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest;...

    , Irish Eurovision entrant and winner of 1993.
  • Robert Quinn, Who danced with the Royal Ballet, although born in Castlereagh in 1984, grew up in Carrickfergus.
  • The musician Sting (Gordon Sumner) lived with ex-wife Frances Tomelty
    Frances Tomelty
    Frances Tomelty is a Northern Irish actress and the first wife of Sting. She is the daughter of Belfast actor Joseph Tomelty ....

     in nearby Whitehead
    Whitehead, County Antrim
    Whitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...

     for a short time during the 1970s.

Arts and entertainment

The town is home to the longest-running short-term radio station in Northern Ireland, Carrickfergus FM
Carrickfergus FM
Carrickfergus FM is a Restricted Service Licence community radio station which broadcasts bi-annually in the town of Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland during the Christmas and Summer periods...

.

The Third Carrickfergus Silver Band
Third Carrickfergus Silver Band
Third Carrickfergus Silver Band commonly shortened to Third Carrick Band are a second grade silver band from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland.-History:...

 are a second grade silver band
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...

, and have operated in the town since 1958.

Transport

Carrickfergus railway station
Carrickfergus railway station
Carrickfergus railway station serves Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are two more railway stations serving Carrickfergus town: Clipperstown and Downshire.Carrickfergus station opened on 1 October 1862....

 opened on 1 October 1862 and continues to offer regular commuter services to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...

.

Translink
Translink (Northern Ireland)
Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company , a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink....

 also operates a local 'town-service' bus route and regular services to both Whitehead
Whitehead
-With common given names on further disambiguation pages:*Alan Whitehead *George Whitehead *Henry Whitehead *James Whitehead *John Whitehead...

 and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

.

Politics

Carrickfergus is covered by the East Antrim constituency
East Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
East Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. It has voted for Unionist candidates since its re-creation in 1983.-Boundaries:...

.

Local MLAs for the area are:
  • Sammy Wilson
    Sammy Wilson
    Samuel Wilson is a politician from Northern Ireland who is a Member of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Antrim. He served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1986 – 1987; and again from June 2000 to June 2001. He was the first person from the Democratic Unionist Party ...

     (DUP)
  • David Hilditch
    David Hilditch
    Alderman David Hilditch MLA is a Northern Irish politician for the Democratic Unionist Party . He is an MLA for East Antrim.David Hilditch was born in 1963 in Carrickfergus....

     (DUP)
  • Alastair Ross
    Alastair Ross
    Alastair Ross is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Ross studied at the Friends School in Lisburn and at the University of Dundee before returning to study Irish Politics at Queen's University Belfast. While there, he became a Democratic Unionist Party activist...

     (DUP)
  • Roy Beggs
    Roy Beggs
    John Robert Beggs, commonly known as Roy Beggs, is a Northern Ireland politician.Beggs was educated at Ballyclare High School, followed by Stranmillis College, to study teacher training...

     (UUP)
  • Oliver McMullan
    Oliver McMullan
    Oliver McMullan is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who was elected as an MLA to the Northern Ireland Assembly to represent the East Antrim constituency in May 2011 and elected to Larne Borough Council in the 2011 local elections....

     (Sinn Féin)
  • Stewart Dickson
    Stewart Dickson
    Stewart Dickson is an Alliance Party of Northern Ireland politician and member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, where he represents East Antrim....

     (Alliance)

Schools and education

There are many primary and secondary schools in Carrickfergus, including:
  • Carrickfergus Grammar School
    Carrickfergus Grammar School
    Carrickfergus Grammar School is a grammar school situated in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Since opening in 1962 with 60 pupils and 4 teachers, its pupil numbers have increased to just over 800 pupils from ages 11 to 18 in Years 8 to 14....

  • Carrickfergus College
    Carrickfergus College
    Carrickfergus College is a secondary school located in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The college was opened in 1959 and has over 750 students and 52 teachers. It is within the North Eastern Education and Library Board area.-College Ethos:...

  • Downshire School
    Downshire School
    Downshire School is a community high school in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Downshire Road. It opened in 1977 and currently has an enrolment of 803 pupils and 59 teachers....

  • Eden Primary School
  • Ulidia Integrated College
    Ulidia Integrated College
    Ulidia Integrated College is situated in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. It was opened in 1997 with an initial 63 students. It is the 44th integrated school to be created in the province and currently provides education for over 530 Catholic and Protestant children.- Catchment area background...


Sports

Sporting establishments in the town include:
  • Carrick Rangers F.C.
  • Carrickfergus Sailing Club
    Carrickfergus Sailing Club
    Carrickfergus Sailing Club is located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland on the north shore of Belfast Lough.The club was originally founded in 1866....

  • Carrickfergus Cricket Club
    Carrickfergus Cricket Club Ground
    Carrickfergus Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Carrickfergus Cricket Club. The ground was established in 1868, but the first recorded match on the ground was in 1999, when the Netherlands U-19s played Scotland Under-19s.The ground has...

  • Carrickfergus Knights
    Carrickfergus Knights
    The Carrickfergus Knights is an American Football team and Ireland's longest running American Football club. Founded in 1993 by Eddie Kelly, the Knights have been National Champions 3 times, in '97, '98 and '02 and have competed in 9 of the 15 championship games.-1994:In the Knights' inaugural...

     American Football Club
  • Carrickfergus Rugby Club

Sister cities

Ruda Slaska
Ruda Slaska
Ruda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...


  Anderson
Anderson, South Carolina
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was estimated at 26,242 in 2006, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 70,530...

, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


  Danville
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....

, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


  Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...

, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


See also

  • Baron Carrickfergus
  • Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland (County Antrim)
  • List of towns in Northern Ireland
  • List of villages in Northern Ireland
  • Market Houses in Northern Ireland
    Market Houses in Northern Ireland
    Market houses are a notable feature of many Northern Ireland towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation making for a most interesting feature of the streetscape. Originally there were three, four or even five bays on the ground floor which were an open arcade. An upper...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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