Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
territory) is a town on the east coast of
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 ...
, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight
roll-on roll-off
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
port. Larne is administered by
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 ...
. Together with parts of the neighbouring districts of
Antrim and Newtownabbey
Ulster Scots: ''Anthrim an Newtownabbey''
, subdivision_type2 =
, subdivision_type3 =
, subdivision_type4 = Status
, subdivision_type5 = Admin HQ
, subdivision_name = United Kingdom
, subdivision_name1 ...
Westminster Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Glenarm Upper
Glenarm Upper is a barony in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. To its east runs the east-Antrim coast, and it is bordered by four other baronies: Glenarm Lower to the north; Antrim Lower to the west; Antrim Upper to the south-west; and Belfast Low ...
.
History
The coastal area around Larne has been inhabited for millennia, and is thought to have been one of the earliest inhabited areas of Ireland, with these early human populations believed to have arrived from Scotland via the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
*North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada
*North Channel, Hong Kong
*Canal du Nord, France
{{geodis ...
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
promontory fort
A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to da ...
and settlement. The early coastal dwellers are thought to have had a sophisticated culture which involved trading between the shores of the North Channel and between other settlements on the coasts of Scotland. The coast of Scotland is in fact clearly visible from here. Archaeological digs in the area have found
flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
work and other artefacts which have been assigned dates from 6000 BC onwards. The term ''Larnian'' has even been coined by archaeologists to describe such flintworks and similar artefacts of the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
era (and one time to describe Mesolithic culture in Ireland as a whole). Larnian is also currently used to refer to people from Larne.
Larne takes its name from ''Latharna'', a
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
territory or ''
túath
''Túath'' (plural ''túatha'') is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. ''Túath'' can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory.
Social structure
In ...
'' that was part of the
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...
minor-kingdom of ''
Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi (; "Araide's part") or Dál Araide, sometimes Latinised as Dalaradia or Anglicised as Dalaray,Boyd, Hugh AlexanderIrish Dalriada ''The Glynns: Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society''. Volume 76 (1978). was a Cruthin kin ...
''. The name spelt as ''Latharne'' was used at one point in reference to the Anglo-Norman
cantred
A cantred was a subdivision of a county in the Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, analogous to the cantref of Wales or the hundred of England. In County Dublin the equivalent unit was termed a serjeant ...
of
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
. ''Latharna'' itself means "descendants of
Lathar
Lathar was a daughter of Úgaine Mór, a High King of Ireland during pre-Christian times. Ugaine reputedly gave Lathar a stretch of land along the coast of County Antrim, from Glenarm to the Inver; which would one day make Larne
Larne (, , ...
", with Lathar according to legend being a son of the pre-Christian king
Úgaine Mór Úgaine Mór, son of Eochu Buadach, son of Dui Ladrach, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the 66th High King of Ireland.
Biography
He was the foster-son of Cimbáeth and Macha#Macha Mong Ruad, Macha Mong Ruad and he ...
. The town sprang up where the River Inver flows into Larne Lough. This area was known in Irish as ''Inbhear an Latharna'' ("rivermouth/estuary of Latharna") and was later anglicised as ''Inver Larne'' or simply ''Inver''. ''Latharna'' was only applied exclusively to the town in recent centuries. The
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
emperor
Severus Severus is the name of various historical and fictional figures, including:
;Emperors of the Roman empire
*Septimius Severus (145–211), Roman emperor from 193 to 211 (rarely known as ''Severus I.'')
*Severus Caracalla (188–217), Roman emperor f ...
is known to have described how, in 204 AD, a Roman galley bound for Scotland veered off course to a place called Portus Saxa, which was believed to be
Larne Lough
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientific ...
. The
ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cultu ...
also knew of the coast of Antrim and
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
, the 2nd century AD astronomer and geographer, referred to
Islandmagee
Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural ...
on one of his maps.
There was
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
activity in the area during the 10th and 11th centuries AD. Viking burial sites and artefacts have been found in the area and dated to that time. ''Ulfreksfjord'' was an
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
name for Larne Lough. According to the Norse historian
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
, Connor, King of Ireland, defeated
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
Vikings at ''Ulfreksfjord'' in 1018. Later anglicised names include ''Wulfrichford'', ''Wolderfirth'', ''Wolverflete'' and the surviving name ''Olderfleet''. The ending ''-fleet'' comes from the Norse ''fljot'', meaning "
inlet
An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea.
Overview
In marine geogra ...
".
Geoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy Geoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy, who wrote as G. M. Gathorne-Hardy (28 January 1878 - 7 January 1972) was an English soldier, writer and Norse specialist.
Life
Geoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy was the son of the Conservative MP Alfred Gathorne-Hard ...
Olderfleet Castle
Olderfleet Castle is a four-storey towerhouse, the remains of which stand on Curran Point to the south of Larne Harbour in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The place name of Olderfleet may be a corruption of ''Ulfrecksfiord'' (or Ulfrie ...
at Curran Point. In 1315,
Edward the Bruce
Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 st ...
of Scotland (brother of
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
, King of Scotland) landed at Larne with his 6000 strong army en route to conquer Ireland, where
Olderfleet Castle
Olderfleet Castle is a four-storey towerhouse, the remains of which stand on Curran Point to the south of Larne Harbour in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The place name of Olderfleet may be a corruption of ''Ulfrecksfiord'' (or Ulfrie ...
was of strategic importance. Edward saw Ireland as another front in the ongoing war against Norman England.
In 1569,
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
, Queen of England and Ireland, appointed
Sir Moyses Hill
Sir Moyses Hill (often written as Sir Moses Hill) was an English army officer who served in Ireland and later settled in Ireland. He was the governor of Olderfleet Castle, mareschal of Carrickfergus, provost mareschal of Ulster, and represented Co ...
as the governor of Olderfleet Castle. It was seen as strategically important for any Tudor conquest of Ulster. Following the 17th century
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...
of Scotland, England and Ireland under
James VI & I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...
many more settlers would have arrived to Ulster via Larne during the
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...
. The area around County Antrim itself, however, was not part of the official 17th century Plantation; instead many Scottish settlers arrived in the area through private settlement in the 17th century (as they had also been doing for centuries before).
During the 18th century many Scots-Irish emigrated to America from the port of Larne. A monument in the Curran Park commemorates the ''Friends Goodwill'', the first emigrant ship to sail from Larne in May 1717, heading for Boston, Massachusetts in the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
region of the modern United States of America. Boston's long standing Scots-Irish roots can be traced to Larne. The town is documented as being the first in county Antrim to be taken by United Irishmen during the ill-fated
rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...
. The Protestant rebels from this area (almost entirely Presbyterian) filled Larne and engaged the government forces around 2am on the morning of 7 June. This surprise attack drove the garrison to flee the town, at which point the rebel force marched off to join up with
McCracken McCracken may refer to:
People
*McCracken (surname), people with the surname McCracken
Places
*McCracken County, Kentucky, a county located in western Kentucky, USA
*McCracken, Kansas, a city in Rush County, Kansas, USA
*McCracken, Missouri, an un ...
and fight in the
Battle of Antrim
The Battle of Antrim was fought on 7 June 1798, in County Antrim, Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between British troops and Irish insurgents led by Henry Joy McCracken. The British won the battle, beating off a rebel attack on Antri ...
.
In 1914,
Loyalists
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
opposed to the
Home Rule Act 1914
The Government of Ireland Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5 c. 90), also known as the Home Rule Act, and before enactment as the Third Home Rule Bill, was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to provide home rule (self-governm ...
prepared for armed resistance. In an episode known as the
Larne Gun Running
The Larne gun-running was a major gun smuggling operation organised in April 1914 in Ireland by Major Frederick H. Crawford and Captain Wilfrid Spender for the Ulster Unionist Council to equip the Ulster Volunteer Force. The operation involved t ...
German, Austrian and Italian weapons with ammunition were transported into the ports of Larne and Bangor in the dead of night and distributed throughout Ulster. This event marked a major step in cementing the right to
Ulster Unionist
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the I ...
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
, with the recognition of such a right ultimately leading to the creation of
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 ...
.
The Troubles
Larne throughout the course of
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
had a significant paramilitary presence in the town, mostly through the presence of the
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...
(UVF) and
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
(UDA). For further information see
UDA South East Antrim Brigade
The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, No ...
.
The town suffered a number of
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...
(IRA) bomb attacks during The Troubles, notably including a large car bomb at the King's Arms hotel in 1980 that caused damage to the main shopping areas, for which the IRA claimed responsibility. This incident was raised in Parliament at the time.
Incidents which involved fatalities
*16 September 1972: Sinclair Johnston a UVF member, was shot by the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
during street disturbances in the town when the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
were protecting Catholics living in St Johns Place.
*20 November 1974: Kevin Regan died from his injuries received in a UVF attack five days before on Maguires bar on Lower Cross Street. The Larne UDA blamed the IRA for the attack.
*6 February 1975: Colette Brown, a Catholic, was found by the side of the Killyglen Road after being shot by Loyalists. Two men, one a UVF member the other a Lance Corporal in the UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) were later convicted of her murder.
*8 September 1975: Michael O'Toole a Catholic, died from his injuries sustained in a loyalist booby trap bomb attached to his car two days previously.
*24 August 1980: Rodney McCormick a Catholic, was shot dead by the
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
(UDA) in the Antiville area of the town. The
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
convicted the gunmen involved.
*11 July 2000: Andrew Cairns a UVF member, was killed by members of the UDA at an
eleventh night
In Northern Ireland, the Eleventh Night or 11th Night, also known as "bonfire night", is the night before the Twelfth of July, an Ulster Protestant celebration. On this night, large towering bonfires are lit in Protestant loyalist neighbourhood ...
bonfire celebration in a suspected loyalist feud at Boyne Square. He may also have been murdered due to his alleged involvement in an earlier assault. The
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
detective inspector, George Montgomery, did not find any motive for the murder.
David Ervine
David Ervine (21 July 1953 – 8 January 2007) was a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2002 to 2007, and was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belf ...
(PUP) stated that there was no Loyalist feud.
Geography
Larne sits on the western side of a narrow inlet that links
Larne Lough
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientific ...
to the sea. On the eastern side of the inlet is a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
called
Islandmagee
Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural ...
. To the west of Larne is the ancient volcanic formation of
Antrim Plateau
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 ...
, with its glaciated valleys scenically sweeping down to the sea to the north of Larne in what are known as the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
*North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada
*North Channel, Hong Kong
*Canal du Nord, France
{{geodis ...
towards the
Mull of Kintyre
The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...
,
Rhins of Galloway
gd, Na Rannaibh
, photo = File:Luce Bay.jpg
, photo_width =
, photo_alt =
, photo_caption = Looking south over the Rhins of Galloway towards Luce Bay
, map = UK Scotland
, map_width =
...
,
Islay
Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...
and
Paps of Jura
The Paps of Jura ( gd, Sgurr na Cìche) are three mountains on the western side of the island of Jura, Scotland, Jura, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Their highest point is .
They are steep-sided quartzite hills with distinctive conical sh ...
often visible from the Larne area – this proximity to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
has had a defining influence on Larne's history and culture.
The town is within the small
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of the same name. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is divided into
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
s. The following is a list of townlands within Larne's urban area, along with their likely
etymologies
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...
:
*Antiville (likely from ''An Tigh Bhile'' meaning "the house of the old tree")
*Ballyboley (from ''Baile Buaile'' meaning "townland of the booley/dairy place")
*Ballycraigy (from ''Baile Creige'' meaning "townland of the rocky outcrop")
*Ballyloran (from ''Baile Loairn'' meaning "Loarn's townland")
*Blackcave North
*Blackcave South
*Curran and Drumalis (from ''Córran'' meaning "crescent" and ''Druim a' Lios'' meaning "ridge of the ringfort")
*Greenland
*Inver (from ''Inbhear'' meaning "rivermouth")
Many streetnames in Larne end in ''
brae
:''"Brae" is also the Lowland Scots language word for the slope or brow of a hill.''
Brae (Old Norse: ''Breiðeið'', meaning "the wide isthmus") is a village on the island of Mainland in Shetland, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Description
Brae wa ...
'', such as 'Whitla's Brae' which comes from the Scots for "hillside".
Curran and Drumaliss
Curran may refer to:
People
* Curran (surname)
* Curran Oi (born 1990), an American figure skater
Material
* Curran (material)
Places
*Curran, community in Alfred and Plantagenet, Ontario, Canada
;Northern Ireland
*Curran, County Londonderry ...
,
Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
,
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
The town has several parks, including Town Park, Chaine Park, Curran Park, and Smiley Park. Other leisure facilities include Larne Leisure Centre and Larne Museum & Arts Centre. Cairndhu Golf Course is situated atop of
Ballygally
Ballygally or Ballygalley (, IPA: bˠalʲəˈɟɛhlʲiː is a village and holiday resort in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately north of Larne. It is also a townland of and is situated in the civil ...
Head and Larne Golf Course on sits atop of the
Islandmagee
Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural ...
peninsula.
Significant buildings and structures include
Olderfleet Castle
Olderfleet Castle is a four-storey towerhouse, the remains of which stand on Curran Point to the south of Larne Harbour in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The place name of Olderfleet may be a corruption of ''Ulfrecksfiord'' (or Ulfrie ...
.
Magheramorne
Magheramorne () is a hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is about 5 miles south of Larne on the shores of Larne Lough. It had a population of 75 people in the 2001 Census. Following the reform of Northern Ireland's local government syst ...
, 5 miles to the south along
Larne Lough
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientific ...
, has a film studio which was used to film much of
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
TV Series ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
''.
Demography
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 18,755 people living in Larne, accounting for 1.04% of the NI total. Of these:
* 18.59% were aged under 16 years and 18.00% were aged 65 and over;
* 51.98% of the usually resident population were female and 48.02% were male;
* 67.03% belong to or were brought up Protestant and other non-Catholic Christian (including Christian related) and 25.97% belong to or were brought up Catholic;
* 71.62% indicated that they had a British national identity, 30.56% had a Northern Irish national identity and 8.75% had an Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity);
* 41 years was the average (median) age of the population;
* 17.20% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 4.02% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic).
Industry and commerce
Ballylumford power station
Ballylumford power station is a natural gas, natural-gas-fired power station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK. With its main plant generating 600 megawatts of electricity, it is Northern Ireland's largest power station and provides half i ...
in Northern Ireland's main power station. Other energy operators in Larne include B9 Energy (a renewable energy development company).
Larne is also home to the headquarters of Caterpillar (NI) Limited (part of the Caterpillar group which manufactures diesel and gas generators),
InspecVision
InspecVision Ltd. is a UK engineering company based in Mallusk, Northern Ireland, established in 2003. It is a manufacturing company producing computer vision inspection systems. The company is one of several local companies created as spinoffs ...
(industrial inspection equipment), TerumoBCT (a Japanese manufacturer of intravenous drip solutions and blood products), and the LEDCOM (Larne Enterprise Development Company) business park.
A number of shops can be found along Larne Main Street, Dunluce Street, Laharna Retail Park, and large supermarkets off the Harbour Highway near the harbour. A market is also held every Wednesday at the Larne Market Yard.
Transport
Ferry
Ferries sail from the harbour to
Cairnryan
Cairnryan ( sco, The Cairn; gd, Machair an Sgithich) is a vi ...
in Scotland. Passenger services are operated by P&O Irish Sea which describes the crossings from Larne to Scotland as "the shortest, fastest crossings" due to the close proximity that Larne has to Scotland. An
Irish Sea Bridge
The Irish Sea Bridge, sometimes called the Celtic Crossing by the media, is a hypothetical rail and road bridge that would span the Irish Sea and connect the island of Ireland to the island of Great Britain. It is one of a number of such proposed ...
has been proposed, connecting Larne with Portpatrick in Scotland.
Road
Larne is connected to
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 ...
by the
A8 road
A8, A08, A 8 or A-8 may refer to:
Electronics
* ARM Cortex-A8, a processor used in mobile devices
* Apple A8, a 64-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.
*AMD A8, an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit
* Samsung Galaxy A8, various smartpho ...
. The A2 road or 'Antrim coast road' which runs along the Antrim coast, and passes through the scenic
Larne Lough
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientific ...
, via
Glynn
Glynn () is a small village and civil parish in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies a short distance south of Larne, on the shore of Larne Lough. Glynn had a population of 2,027 people in th ...
,
Magheramorne
Magheramorne () is a hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is about 5 miles south of Larne on the shores of Larne Lough. It had a population of 75 people in the 2001 Census. Following the reform of Northern Ireland's local government syst ...
, and
Ballycarry
Ballycarry () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is midway between Larne and Carrickfergus, overlooking Islandmagee, and is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 981.
Ar ...
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
. The
A36 road
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in southwest England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 to Bristol, thus providing a road link between the major ports of Southampton a ...
runs from the town to
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.
The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station
Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with , and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place ...
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
and
Jordanstown
Jordanstown ( ga, Baile Mhic Shiúrtáin) is a townland (of 964 acres) and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated i ...
, also connects Larne to the
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent ...
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
. Currently there is no freight transport by rail in Northern Ireland. Both
Larne Town railway station
Larne Town railway station serves Larne in 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 Loug ...
and
Larne Harbour railway station
Larne Harbour railway station, Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, serves the ferry port for ferries to Cairnryan. There are also occasional sailings to Douglas, Isle of Man in conjunction with the Isle of Man TT. Sailings to Cairnryan are ...
opened on 1 October 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965.
The
Ballymena and Larne Railway
The Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The first part opened in July 1877 and regular passenger services began in August 1878, the first on the Irish gauge railways. Passenger services ende ...
was a
narrow gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...
. It opened in 1878, was closed to passengers in 1933 and finally completely closed in 1950. Another line ran from Larne to Ballyclare and some parts of it can still be made out where it ran along the Six Mile valley.
Public services
Larne Town Hall
Larne Town Hall is a municipal structure in Upper Cross Street in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Larne Borough Council, is a Grade B+ listed building.
History
The town hall was financed by ...
, the former headquarters of Larne Borough Council, was completed in 1870.
Moyle Hospital
The Moyle Hospital is a health facility in Gloucester Avenue, Larne, Northern Ireland. It is managed by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.
History
The facility has its origins in the Larne Union Workhouse which was designed by George Wil ...
offers limited services after the closure of its accident and emergency department.
Education
Secondary schools serving the area include
Larne Grammar School
Larne Grammar School is a co-educational voluntary grammar school located in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1886 by Sir Edward Coey and John Crawford, it has around 760 pupils and 50 teaching staff.
History
The school was ...
and
Larne High School
Larne High School is a secondary school in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The foundation stone on the High School site was laid on 26 July 1955, and the school opened in September 1957. It was then known as Greenland Intermediate Secon ...
.
Northern Regional College
Northern Regional College (or NRC) is a third level educational institution in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The college has six campuses around the north-east of Northern Ireland (County Antrim and eastern County Londonderry): Ballymena ( ...
(formerly Larne Technical College) is a college of further education.
Notable people
* Smiley baronets, series of baronets important in History of Larne
*
Dianne Barr
Dianne Barr (born 13 September 1972) is a Northern Irish Paralympic swimmer from Larne. Barr started swimming at the age of four, and has a congenital abnormality of the lower leg. At the age of eleven, her lower leg was amputated and replaced ...
James Chaine
James Chaine (1841 – 4 May 1885) was an Irish shipping businessman and a Conservative PartyWalker, p. 249. politician from County Antrim in Ulster.
The son of James Chaine of Ballycraigy and his wife, Maria (née Whittle), from Antrim, he was ...
, Member of Parliament
*
Dave Clements
David Clements (born 15 September 1945 in Larne, County Antrim) is a former football player and manager from Northern Ireland. He started his career as a left winger but also played as a defensive midfielder and left full back. During a career ...
, footballer and football manager
*
Fyfe Ewing
Fyfe Alexander Ewing (born 1 November 1970), is best known as the original drummer and founding member of rock band Therapy?.
Therapy?
In 1989, while playing drums in a punk covers band at a charity gig in Jordanstown, Ewing met Andy Cairns a ...
, musician, drummer (
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie (born 18 February 1975) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Mindwell in the Mid-Ulster Football League.
He began his career at Manchester United after winning the FA Youth ...
,
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
and
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 ...
midfielder.
*
Robert John Gregg Robert John Gregg (July 2, 1912, Larne, County Antrim, Ireland – November 15, 1998, Vancouver, BC, Canada), known as Bob Gregg or R. J. Gregg, was a linguist, a pioneer of the academic study of Ulster-Scots as well as a linguistic authority on Can ...
, pioneer of the academic study of
Ulster-Scots dialects
Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (', ga, Albainis Uladh), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect of Scots spoken in parts of Ulster in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.Gregg, R. J. (1972) "The Scotch-Irish Dialect Bo ...
as well as a linguistic authority on
Canadian English
Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the varieties of English native to Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder spoke French ( ...
*
Mark Haggan
Mark Haggan is a UK-based businessman and charity activist, particularly in the fields of student volunteering, education and international development. He is currently chairman of two British NGOs (The AIESEC Foundation, and the award winning ...
Valerie Hobson
Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
and
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
footballer
*
Whitford Kane
Whitford Kane (born Thomas Wheeler Kane, January 30, 1881 – December 17, 1956) was a noted Irish-born American stage and screen character actor remembered for playing the First Gravedigger in numerous productions of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' and ...
, actor
*
Valerie Lilley
Valerie Lilley (born 14 April 1939) is a Northern Irish actress who has played many television roles on dramas such as '' Doctors'' and ''Grange Hill''. Lilley most recently appeared in BBC1's '' Casualty'' as Daisy Fennings. Prior to that Chan ...
Phillip Magee
''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The second series ran from 20 August to 17 December 2005. Shayne Ward became the winner and Louis Walsh emerged as the winning mentor. The second series was l ...
(''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', series 2 finalist
* Sir Ivan Magill, innovating anaesthetist; went to Larne Grammar school
*
Dave McAuley
David Anthony McAuley, MBE (born 15 June 1961, Larne) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 1983 to 1992. He held the IBF flyweight title from 1989 to 1992 and challenged twice for the WBA flyweight title, in ...
, former
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
Flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
world champion
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
*
Gareth McAuley
Gareth Gerald McAuley ( ; born 5 December 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He represented Northern Ireland at senior international level, being capped on 80 occasions and scoring nine times ...
, current
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
defender
*
Colin McGarry
Colin Edward McGarry (born 22 July 1965) is a Northern Irish former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments. His the nickname The Chief.
Career
McGarry qualified for the 2004 PDC World Darts Champio ...
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the World ...
player
*
Adam McGurk
Adam Michael McGurk (born 24 January 1989) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who currently plays for Stratford Town as a forward.
McGurk started his career in the Aston Villa youth academy in 2004, but failed to break into the firs ...
Bobby McKee
Bobby McKee, MBE (1941 – 24 January 2021) was a Unionist politician in Larne, Northern Ireland and former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force.
McKee was a Democratic Unionist Party councillor and a member of Larne Borough Council since 1989. ...
,
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...
councillor; former Mayor of Larne
*
Jack McKee
Jack McKee (4 September 1943 – 4 October 2015) was a Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) politician in Larne, Northern Ireland.Sydney Elliott and W. D. Flackes, ''Northern Ireland: A Political Directory, 1968-1999'', p.333
Early life
McKee was bo ...
, alderman and veteran
loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
politician
*
Michael McKeegan
Michael McKeegan (born 25 March 1971) is a Northern Irish musician best known as the bassist of rock band Therapy?.
Evil Priest
In 1988, McKeegan (bass/vocals), along with his two brothers Ciaran (guitar) and Charlie (drums), formed a Heavy m ...
, musician (
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
)
*
Amanda McKittrick Ros
Anna Margaret Ross (née McKittrick; 8 December 1860 – 2 February 1939), known by her pen-name Amanda McKittrick Ros, was an Irish writer. She published her first novel ''Irene Iddesleigh'' at her own expense in 1897. She wrote poetry and ...
, author, poet; taught at Millbrook National School during the 1880s
*
Eddie McMorran
Edward James "Eddie" McMorran (2 September 1923 – 27 January 1984) was a footballer who played as a centre forward and inside forward in the Football League, for Ireland and Northern Ireland.
McMorran was born in Larne, County Antrim and atte ...
The Dakotas
The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...
,
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat group. Formed in Birmingham, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US, Canadian, and UK Top 10s. Afterwards, they had ...
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...
(1830–1893)
*Robert Nelson, electronic music producer (
Agnelli & Nelson
Agnelli & Nelson were the collective name of Northern Irish music producers Christoper James Agnew and Robert Frederick Nelson, writers and producers of electronic dance music who have worked in the genre of trance from 1997 to 2014. They also ...
)
*
Jonathan Rea
Jonathan Rea (born 2 February 1987) is a Northern Irish professional motorcycle racer. He competes in the Superbike World Championship and is a six-time champion in the series.
He is the first to have won the Superbike World Championship six t ...
,
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing.
The championship was founded i ...
rider
*
Keith Semple
Keith Semple (born 20 September 1981) is a Northern Irish singer and musician. He originally had his own band Keith Semple Band. In 2002, he took part and was a winner in ''Popstars: The Rivals'', consequently becoming a member of the boyband ...
, (
One True Voice
One True Voice were a British boy band created on the ITV television series '' Popstars: The Rivals''. In the show, pop groups of both sexes were created through a public vote and competed in the UK Singles Chart for the 2002 Christmas number ...
Norman Surplus
Norman Surplus (7 February 1963 – 19 April 2022) was a pilot from Northern Ireland who circumnavigated the globe in an autogyro, nicknamed "Roxy". His trip began in 2010 and ended on 28 June 2019. In 2010, during the first leg of his trip, Sur ...
, first person to complete a circumnavigation of Earth by
Autogyro
An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...
*
Harry Towb
Harry Towb (27 July 1925 – 24 July 2009) was an actor from Northern Ireland.
Early life and career
Towb was born in Larne, County Antrim, to a History of the Jews in Russia, Russian-Jewish father and an History of the Jews in Ireland, Irish- ...
, actor
Freedom of the borough
In memory of a battle in the town of
Musa Qala
; "Fortress of Moses") is a town and the district centre of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is located at and at an altitude of 1,043 m in the valley of Musa Qala River in the central western part of the district. Its popul ...
in Afghanistan in 2006, involving the Royal Irish Regiment, a new regimental march, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned by
Larne Borough Council
Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council in May 2015 under the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland to become Mid ...
, was gifted to the regiment on Saturday 1 November 2008 in Larne, during an event in which the regiment was presented with " the Freedom of the Borough".
This gave the regiment the right to march through the towns of the borough with 'flags flying, bands playing and bayonets fixed'. The march was named ''Musa Qala''.
Events
The Friends Goodwill Music Festival occurs in May each year and supports local music.
Sport
Larne F.C.
Larne Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club based in Larne, County Antrim that play in the NIFL Premiership.
History
The club was founded in 1889 and plays its home matches at Inver Park. The club's colours are red and w ...
, a professional
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club, plays in the
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
. Local amateur football clubs include
Larne Technical Old Boys F.C.
Larne Technical College Old Boys Association Football Club, commonly known as Larne Tech Old Boys, is a Northern Irish, intermediate football club based in Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of Cou ...
and
Wellington Recreation F.C.
Wellington Recreation Football Club (also known as Wellington Rec) is a Northern Irish, intermediate football club, based in Larne, County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland ...
Twin city
Larne is twinned with
Clover
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...
,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, which has named one of its schools,
Larne Elementary School
Clover School District, officially known as York County School District 2, is a suburban school district located in York County, South Carolina, York County, in north-central South Carolina, near the North Carolina border. The district is loc ...
, after Larne.
Notable facts
*
Larnite
Larnite is a calcium silicate mineral with formula: Ca2SiO4. It is the calcium member of the olivine group of minerals.
It was first described from an occurrence at Scawt Hill, Larne, Northern Ireland in 1929 by Cecil Edgar Tilley and named ...
– this mineral is named after Larne.
See also
*
List of civil parishes of County Antrim
In Ireland Counties are divided into civil parishes and parishes are further divided into townlands. The following is a list of civil parishes in County Antrim, Northern Ireland:
__NOTOC__
A
Aghagallon, Aghalee, Ahoghill, Antrim, Ardclinis, ...
*
List of localities in Northern Ireland by population
This is a list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The fifty largest settlements are listed. This list has been compiled from data published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), based on the 2011 Census. Se ...
*
List of RNLI stations
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stations are the bases for the RNLI's fleet of search and rescue lifeboats that cover the coastal waters around the entire British Isles, as well as major inland waterways.
The service was establis ...