The Knockagh Monument is a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is located on top of Knockagh Hill, above the village of

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

with a panoramic view of the city of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Features

The site is 390m (1230 feet) above sea levelUlster War Memorials
/ref> and is the largest war memorial in Northern Ireland. The monument is a -high

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

and is a replica of the Wellington Monument in

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, although is exactly half the height. The Monument's inscription was adapted from the hymn “O Valiant Hearts" by John S. Arkwright. It reads:

History

A committee was set up with Mr. Henry Barton, the High Sheriff of County Antrim, as secretary to raise £25,000 to erect an obelisk in local basalt, with bronze panels listing the names of all those from Co. Antrim who had died in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The foundation stone was laid on 7 October 1922, but financial difficulties delayed work for a decade. Following Mr Barton's death in 1935, Antrim Rural District Council were asked to adopt the monument and oversee its completion. It was eventually completed in 1936. Following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the memorial was dedicated to the fallen of both wars. It was refurbished in 1985 and again in 2006, taking three months and with all 10 Local Councils in County Antrim at the time contributing £1,500 to the total cost of £50,000 of work, although it is sited on what was

Carrickfergus Borough Council Carrickfergus Borough Council was a district council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid and ...

's ground, now part of

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County A ...

. On 5 November 2006, the refurbished memorial was unveiled by the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, Lord O’Neill and rededicated by Rev. Canon E. J. Moore, T.D., M.A.

References

{{Commons category, Knockagh Monument

External links

Ulster War Memorials - Co. Antrim
Monuments and memorials in County Antrim Buildings and structures in County Antrim Tourist attractions in County Antrim Grade B2 listed buildings Military history of County Antrim Listed monuments and memorials in Northern Ireland