Ballycarry

Ballycarry
County Antrim
St John's Church, Ballycarry
Location
Grid reference:	J446941
Location:	54°46’27"N, 5°45’10"W
Data
Population:	981  (2001)
Post town:	Carrickfergus
Postcode:	BT38
Dialling code:	028
Local Government
Council:	Mid & East Antrim
Parliamentary constituency:	East Antrim

Ballycarry is a village in County Antrim, midway between Larne and Carrickfergus, overlooking Islandmagee. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 981.

History

Neolithic artefacts found in the village suggest ancient settlement, while the Lislaynan ecclesiastical settlement looks back to a thousand years of Christian witness. There was also a Norman settlement in the area, at Redhall, and at Brackenberg, now the centre of modern Ballycarry. An early Christian stone coffin lid which was uncovered at Redhall in the 18th century, was reinstated in the Templecorran cemetery and displays an early Christian cross engraved within an arc.

In 1613 the Rev. Edward Brice came to Ballycarry as the first Presbyterian minister in Ireland, He ministered in the Templecorran Church, now in ruins. Originally from Stirlingshire, he was brought to the village by William Edmondstone, who settled there in 1609. Brice was one of several Scottish clergymen who were forbidden to preach by the Established Church authorities in the 1630s.

In 1789 the United Irish Rising broke out, involving some of the Presbyterians of Ballycarry. Among these were James Orr, known as the Bard of Ballycarry, the foremost of the Ulster Weaver Poets, and a contemporary of Robert Burns. Orr fled to America after the Rising was stamped out though he later returned to Ballycarry under an amnesty and died in the village in 1816. Not all were so lucky: William Nelson, a 16-year-old, was hanged for his part in the Rebellion and is known as 'The Ballycarry Martyr'. (His brother John was transported to America where he became a successful architect in Virginia and a personal friend of President Thomas Jefferson.)

In the early twentieth century, the station at Ballycarry was the arrival point for trips to the Gobbins, a remarkable coastal walk on carved staircases, tunnels and platforms attached to the cliffs.

About the village

Two imposing monuments stand in the village:

• To James Orr, the Weaver Poet, erected in 1831 in the Templecorran cemetery. In 2011 a tourist trail, the Weaver's Trail, was officially launched in Orr's honour.
• To General Sir James Steele, born in Ballycarry, who signed the mobilisation order to take the United Kingdom to war with Nazi Germany in 1939. He later played a part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 and the Normandy landings in 1944.

Churches

Ballycarry Presbyterian Church was founded in 1613 and is the oldest congregation in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The present church building dates from 1830.

The Old Presbyterian (Non-Subscribing) Presbyterian Congregation also traces its roots back to 1613, and this congregation remained strongest in 1829 when the Presbyterian Church was split over the Subscription Controversy, the Non-Subscribers leaving open the issue of subscription to the Westminster Confession of Faith. The Old Presbyterian Church is located on the Main Street in the village.

St John's Parish Church, in the Church of Ireland is the most imposing church building in the village. The church was built in the 19th century by the Ker family of Redhall.

Community

Ballycarry Community Association organises the Broadisland Gathering community festival held each year on the first Saturday in September and associated dates. The Gathering highlights the strong Ulster Scots heritage of the community and includes dancing, music, pipe bands, discussions, re-enactment, exhibitions and the Aul Kinntra Fair, revived from the 1930s but dating back to the 17th century.

Ballycarry has a vibrant community association, which succeeded in attracting funding for a modern community centre in the village in 2001. The Association includes representatives from all local groups in the village including the three local churches, sports clubs, fraternities and social groups. In 2009 many events were held in Ballycarry to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the community's being established in 1609.

Transport links

Ballycarry railway station was opened on 1 October 1862. The railway station is located about a mile from the village.

Outside links

• Ballycarry Community Association
• The Story of the Broadisland Gathering - The Ulster-Scots Agency
• Ballycarry Primary School
• Poems of William Orr: The Weavers' Trail

References

• Ballycarry Presbyterian Church
• James Orr - The Ulster-Scots Agency