5039 Titanic and Stedman Cinques for Titanic100
A peal rung on the bells on which I learnt to ring, with at least one ringer I know ringing. Rung on the eve of RMS Titanic striking an iceberg.
Tag Archives: Ballymena
it’s not just Ballymena that brings Christmas early…
The Belfast Telegraph asked in 2010: Could this be the first tree in the UK or Ireland?
My apologies to my readers that there has not been much from my desk in recent days, I’ve been on holiday in between a committee meeting of FLAGS and a ringing tour with FODS. But it seems that Bedford is getting ready for the holiday season of Christmas quite early in the year. As Peter and I returned from the Barley Mow last evening [or was it this morning?–Ed.] we saw that Bedford Borough Council had started to put the Christmas lighting up.
This reminds me of my home town where Ballymena Borough Council causes embarrassment to its residents by having to switch off the Christmas lights on Remembrance Day as they are switched on before that.
We’re not even into the month of November, we’ve not had Hallowe’en, or Bonfire Night, and still councils up and down the country are putting Christmas lights up way too early.
Is it too much to ask that Christmas is left until Christmas! It’s Twelve Days long. We all know the song the Twelve Days of Christmas, and some of us have now heard several alternative versions. Now that would make it special for all concerned.
Perhaps someone should ask the local Council what they are playing at here in Bedford? Oh, hold on, they have an ‘elected Mayor‘ Dave Hodgson. Perhaps someone can explain this system to me.
Like this:
fire at 21st US President’s ancestral home
Image via Wikipedia
Last night there was a fire at Arthur Cottage, Cullybackey. Arthur Cottage was the ancestral home of Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President of the United States of America.
At the time of writing, the cause of the fire is not known, nor do we know if it was malicious. However, what I do know is that Arthur Cottage was a favourite place for me to visit on my bicycle when I was younger. It was about 3 miles away from my home in Ballymena, which is where I am as I type this article, and was a rather easy trip.
Living history was always important in Arthur Cottage.
I well remember going and eating soda farls that had been baked there as we watched. It is sad to think that although the interpretative centre is still standing, the thatched roof and some of its contents have been lost.
I hope that if the fire was malicious – and the PSNI and NIFRS investigators will be doing their work to find out if it was – the culprits will be found and brought before the courts.
I am sure that Ballymena Borough Council will work quickly to ensure that the cottage is restored, and once more the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Ballymena’s tourist trail will be open to the public.
Related articles
- Who is President Chester Alan Arthur related to (wiki.answers.com)
Royal Irish have a weekend of ‘coming home’
This evening, my home town of Ballymena will see a homecoming parade for the soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment exercising their right to march through the town with
flags flying, bands playing and bayonets fixed
as the Regiment was given the Freedom of the Borough of Ballymena back in the early 1990s, and I remember my mother having to drive us down early for a service in St Patrick’s Parish Church as my brothers and I were then in the choir – we nearly didn’t make it through before the town was sealed off.
It is important to be having this parade in the “city of the seven towers” as until the summer of 2008, St Patrick‘s Barracks was the Regimental Headquarters and Depot of the Royal Irish Regiment, and before that of the Royal Irish Rangers.
Having grown up in Ballymena, we all knew of St Patrick’s Barracks and many of us were proud that our hometown was also the
home of the Royal Irish
Formed in 1992, as an amalgamation of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Rangers,
The Royal Irish Regiment is the last remaining Irish infantry regiment of the line. The 1st Battalion is based in Tern Hill, Shropshire and forms part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The 2nd Battalion is a Territorial Army battalion and its headquarters is in Portadown, Northern Ireland with company locations across the province. 1 Royal Irish Battlegroup returned in October 2008 from their second tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan – and again deployed to Helmand Province in 2010.
from R Irish website
It is from this tour of Helmand Province that the Royal Irish have returned recently.
Whatever we may think or say or do about the presence of British troops in Afghanistan, I believe that it is important for us to recognise the bravery of the men and women of the Forces of the Crown who serve Queen and Country wherever they are asked to serve.
Some politicians and community leaders are concerned that the Ministry of Defence turned down the opportunity for a homecoming parade in Belfast city centre. However, in my view, it seems much more sensible for the homecoming parades to be where there is a real connexion to the Regiment. Ballymena was the ‘home’ of the Royal Irish for many, many years. The town has a different feel about it without St Patrick’s Barracks being staffed.
The last time that there was a parade in Belfast there was a major security operation to police it. Given the security situation in which Northern Ireland finds itself as well as operational reasons given by the MoD, I have no complaints about their being a parade in Ballymena this evening, another in the city of Lisburn following conferment of the Freedom of the City by the city council tomorrow, and a thanksgiving service in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast on Sunday. St Anne’s has the chapel of the Royal Irish Regiment in the north transept of the building. It is highly appropriate for the thanksgiving service to be there – indeed it is the Regiment coming home again this time to their spiritual home.
Let’s have a listen to the Regimental Quick March, Killaloe, which I am sure will be heard this weekend with rousing shouts during it.
Related articles
- Royal Irish open boxing club for Afghan kids (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- Irish troops in Helmand mark St Patrick’s Day (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- MOD turns down homecoming parade (politics.ie)
- RIR homecoming parade is approved (bbc.co.uk)
McFarland – Carchrie Campbell engagement
Mr A.A. McFarland,
son of the Mr R.W.A. McFarland (deceased) and & Mrs McFarland,
of Ballycloghan, Belfast,
and
Mr M.J.P.B. Carchrie Campbell,
son of Mr and Mrs B.C. Campbell,
of Carniny, Ballymena,
are pleased to announce their engagement prior to their
Civil Partnership & Covenant of Commitment
which is planned for May 2011.
Normative?
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