Larne

Larne
Scots: Lairne
Irish: Latharna
A birds-eye view looking south-east towards Larne Harbour, Islandmagee, and down the length of Larne Lough. Chaine Memorial Tower can be seen in the left of the picture, with Ballylumford power station behind the ferry.
Larne Coat of Arms
Larne  Larne shown within Northern Ireland
Population	18,228 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference	D4102
- Belfast	30 km (19 mi)
District	Larne
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LARNE
Postcode district	BT40
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	East Antrim
NI Assembly	East Antrim
Website	www.larne.gov.uk
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Antrim

Larne (from Irish: Latharna, the name of a Gaelic territory) 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 today a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is twinned with Clover, South Carolina.

Larne is administered by Larne Borough Council. Together with the neighbouring district of Carrickfergus and part of Newtownabbey, it forms the East Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

History

Standing stone near Cairncastle.

The coastal area around Larne has been inhabited for millennia, and it 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. 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. Archaeological digs in the area have found flintwork 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 era (and one time to describe Mesolithic culture in Ireland as a whole).

The oldest known recorded Irish name for Larne Lough was Loch Ollarbha or Inbhear nOllarbha (Ollarbha Rivermouth), from Ollarbha the ancient name of the Larne Water. It is also recorded that the Roman Emperor Serverus described how, in 204AD, a Roman slave galley bound for Scotland was blown off course and took shelter in a place that they called Portus Saxa (the Port of the Standing Stones) - this is thought to have been Larne Lough. The ancient Greeks also had knowledge of the Antrim Coast and Ptolemy, the astronomer and geographer of the 2nd century AD, referred to Islandmagee on one of his maps.

In mediaeval times Lathar, daughter/son [?] of Hugony the Great (according to legend, High King of Ireland and reputed ruler of much of the British Isles), was reputedly given a small territory by her/his father which stretched along the Antrim coast roughly from Glenarm to the Inver River - this territory was thus called Latharna (the lands of Lathar). The area where the modern town sits was known in Irish as Inbhear an Latharna (meaning the "river mouth of Latharna") and in English as Inver Larne or simply Inver. (The territorial name of "Latharna" was only applied exclusively to the location of the present town in recent centuries.)

The area at one point came under threat from Viking raids. Viking burial sites have been found in Larne, and artefacts such as Viking-type swords found in Larne have been dated to the tenth century AD. It is generally thought that the Vikings established a base at Larne for a time, and that the Norse name for Larne Lough was Ulfreksfjord (named after one of their Norse kings). According to Snorri, the Norse historian, Connor, King of Ireland, defeated the raiding Orkney Vikings at Ulfreksfjord in 1018. This suggests that some of Anglo-Norman names for the Larne area, such as Wulfrickford had a Norse origin.

In later Anglo-Norman records the name for Larne Lough was spelt as Wulvricheford, Wulfrickford, Wokingisfyrth, Wolderfirth, Wolverflete, Ulderfleet, Ulderfleete and Wulfricchford in various records, eventually settling down to Olderfleet. P.W. Joyce in his Irish Names of Places states that it is probable that in the first element of "Olderfleet" is the ancient Irish name of the Larne water, Ollorbha, with the second element being a corruption of the word "fiord" (a long narrow arm of the sea, running up between high banks or cliffs, as on the coast of Norway)

Ruins of Olderfleet Castle

In the 13th Century the Scots-Irish Bissett family built Olderfleet Castle at Curran Point. In 1315 Edward the Bruce of Scotland (brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland) landed at Larne with his 6000 strong army en route to conquer Ireland, where Olderfleet Castle was of strategic importance. Edward saw Ireland as another front in the ongoing war against Norman England.

In 1569 Queen Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Ireland, appointed Sir Moyses Hill 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 of Scotland, England and Ireland under James VI & I many more settlers would have arrived to Ulster via Larne during the Plantation of Ulster. 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 Irish emigrated to America from the port of Larne. A monument in Smiley Park commemorates the Friends Goodwill, the first emigrant ship to sail from Larne in May 1717, heading for Boston, New England in the modern United States. Boston's long standing Irish roots can be traced to Larne. As with western and southern Ireland and unlike some areas of north–east (Antrim, Down, Louth and North Dublin) and eastern Ireland (South Dublin, Wicklow) this was a town stricken by the Irish Famine of the mid 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

In 1914, Loyalists opposed to the Home Rule Act 1914 prepared for armed resistance. In an episode known as the Larne Gun Running German weapons and ammunition were transported into the port of Larne in the dead of night and distributed throughout Ulster. This event marked a major step in cementing the right to Ulster Unionist self-determination, with the recognition of such a right ultimately leading to the creation of Northern Ireland.

The Troubles

Larne throughout the course of The Troubles had a significant paramilitary presence in the town, mostly through the presence of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA). For further information see UDA South East Antrim Brigade.

Geography

Photograph looking north from Islandmagee illustrating the proximity to Scotland.

In the foreground is Islandmagee in Northern Ireland, followed by Stena Line ferries entering and leaving Larne, and The Maidens lighthouses.

In the background are the Scottish Paps of Jura on the left and Mull of Kintyre on the right.

Larne sits on the western side of a narrow inlet that links Larne Lough to the sea. On the eastern side of the inlet is a peninsula called Islandmagee. To the west of Larne is the ancient volcanic formation of Antrim Plateau, with its glaciated valleys scenically sweeping down to the sea the to the north of Larne in what are known as the Glens of Antrim. Larne is 25 miles from the Scottish mainland, with stunning views across the North Channel towards the Mull of Kintyre, Rhins of Galloway, Islay and Paps of Jura often visible from the Larne area - this proximity to Scotland has had a defining influence on Larne's history and culture.

The town is within the small parish of the same name. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish has long been divided into townlands, whose names mostly come from the Irish language. Over time, more rural townlands have been built upon and they have given their names to many roads and housing estates. The following is a list of townlands within Larne's urban area, alongside their likely etymologies:

• Antiville (likely from an Tigh Bhile meaning "the house of the old tree")
• Ballyboley (likely from Baile Buaile meaning "townland of the booley/dairy place")
• Ballycraigy (likely from Baile Creige meaning "townland of the rocky outcrop")
• Ballyloran (likely from Baile Loairn meaning "Loarn's townland")
• Blackcave North
• Blackcave South
• Curran and Drumaliss (likely from Córran meaning "crescent" and Druim a' Lios meaning "ridge of the ringfort")
• Greenland
• Inver (likely from Inbhear meaning "rivermouth")

Panorama of the Antrim Plateau and Antrim Coast from the Blackcave area of Larne.
From left to right (panning from West to North): Craigy Hill, Agnew's Hill, Sallagh Braes, Knock Dhu, Scawt Hill, Drains Bay, Ballygally Head, North Channel

Places of interest

Looking towards Chaine Memorial Tower and north along the Antrim Coast towards the Glens

The bandstand on Larne Main Street.

Maze in the shape of Northern Ireland in Carnfunnock Country Park

• The town has several parks:
  • The Town Park sits above the picturesque Promenade area with walks towards the Chaine Memorial Tower at Sandy Bay - a lighthouse and memorial to the founder of Larne Harbour sea route to Scotland. The Leisure Centre is nearby.
  • The Chaine Park contains the burial site of James Chaine and offers picturesque views over the North Channel.
  • The Curran park has a large children's play area, bowling facilities and camping. There are also tributes to emigrants to North America and Larne's connections with North America.
  • The Dixon Park contains a 2 hectare open green space area with bandstand.
  • Smiley park is a small park in the centre of the town also with tributes to emigrants to North America who left from the port of Larne.
  • Playing fields and cricket grounds at Sandy Bay.
  • Carnfunnock Country Park, 3.5 miles north of Larne is a large site with camping, caravanning, gardens, maze of Northern Ireland, sundials, children's play area, mini-golf, 9 hole pitch and putt golf course, clay pigeon shooting, orienteering course, and walks.
• Larne Leisure Centre offers a 25m indoor swimming pool, spa, sauna, weights, fitness, sports hall and theatre. It is situated at Sandy Bay near the picturesque Promenade area.
• Larne Museum & Arts Centre, situated in the Carnegie Centre in the centre of the town.
• Olderfleet Castle is the ruins of a 13th century castle at Curran Point, near the Chaine Memorial Tower.
• Cairndhu Golf Course is an 18 hole course situated atop of Ballygally Head. Larne Golf Course on sits atop of the Islandmagee peninsula
• Nearby sandy beaches at:
  • Sandy Bay (small beach)
  • Drains Bay, just to the northern edge of the town.
  • Ballygally, 5 miles north from centre of Larne. Ballygally Beach has recently won top awards for cleanliness and is rated to have top water quality for bathing.
  • Browns Bay at the tip of Islandmagee offers camping and caravanning.
  • Glenarm, 10 miles north from centre of Larne.
  • Carnlough, 12 miles north from centre of Larne.
• Waterfalls and forest walk are at nearby Glenoe, 5 miles inland.
• Magheramorne, 5 miles to the south along Larne Lough, has a marina; a Moutainbiking course and an all-Ireland diving centre are currently under construction at the old Magheramorne lime quarry and cement works. The film studio at Magheramorne was used to film much of HBO TV Series Game of Thrones, where the quarry wall was used as a back-drop for much of the series, along with scenery at the Antrim Plateau near Cairncastle.
• Diving tours are also available off the coast. The lighthouse on The Maidens rocks hosts a colony of seals. Numerous coastal bird species and other wildlife such as otters, whales and dolphins are often visible along the Larne coastal area.
• Castle and estate of the Earl of Antrim in the nearby fishing village of Glenarm, 12 miles north, has walled gardens and often hosts Ulster Scots cultural events such as the Dalriada Festival and Highland Games.
• Larne Lough is a protected bird-watching area and designated Special Protection Area, Area of Special Scientific Interest and Ramsar wetland site to protect both birds and shellfish.
• There are numerous stables horse-riding facilities in the area and pony trekking tours are available.

Churches

Larne Congregational Church

Larne Congregational Church is situated on Curran Road

This church was founded in 1879 by Rev James Orr, but nothing is recorded about other founding members and nothing is known about Rev Orr except that his time as minister lasted for six years until 1885 and that he had passed away before February 1910 when the new church was built at 38-40 Curran road. Before this there was an old tin/iron building on the Clonlee which was the original meeting place. It was known as the tin tabernacle. After it became unusable due to rust and decay, the church members met at 139 Main street in the town and some meetings were held in Rev Archibald Mackinlay's home at 20 Clonlee. Around this time (1900 approx) monthly meetings were being held in the Intermediate school at Barnhill. This school was actually the end house in the terrace beside the Orange hall and is now a house again. The new church was opened in 1910 and is still active today. See Larne Congregational Church website for more details.

Demographics

Larne is classified as a Large Town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 18,000 and 75,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 18,228 people living in Larne. Of these:

• 20.9% were aged under 16 years and 21.2% were aged 60 and over
• 48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female
• 26.2% were from a Catholic background and 70.7% were from a Protestant background.
• 4.3% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Industry & Commerce

Larne in March 2007, with the FG Wilson plant dominating the top of the picture, Moyle Hospital in the centre, and the Laharna Retail Park (site of the former Invercon paper mill) at the bottom.

• Ballylumford power station - Northern Ireland's main power station, providing half of all Northern Ireland's electricity.
• Headquarters of FG Wilson (Engineering) Ltd. (part of the Caterpillar group) - a major employer in Northern Ireland and manufacturer of diesel and gas generators.
• InspecVision Ltd. - Industrial Inspection Equipment.
• Ivex Pharmaceuticals Ltd. - manufacturer of intravenous drip solutions.
• LEDCOM (Larne Enterprise Development Company) and business park
• B9 Energy - renewable energy development
• Wind NI - Wind Power Development Solutions
• Tidy Bytes - Catering for a range of computing needs.

A variety of shops can be found mainly along Larne Main Street, Dunluce Street, Laharna Retail Park, and large supermarkets off the Harbour Highway near the harbour. A variety market is also held every Wednesday at the Larne Market Yard.

Transport

• Ferries sail from the harbour to destinations including Cairnryan and Troon in Scotland, Fleetwood in England and Douglas on the Isle of Man. A freight-only service operates to Heysham. Passenger services are operated by P&O, Stena Line and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. The P&O ferry company describes the crossings from Larne to Scotland as "the shortest, fastest crossings" due to the close proximty that Larne has to Scotland, and that the fast ferry to Cairnryan takes only one hour.
• Larne is connected to Belfast by the A8 road. The A2 road or 'Antrim coast road' which runs along the Antrim coast, and passes through the scenic Glens of Antrim, also serves the town. South of the town the A2 passes the side of Larne Lough, via Glynn, Magheramorne, and Ballycarry, to Whitehead and Carrickfergus. The A36 road runs from the town to Ballymena.
• A railway route to Belfast, via Whitehead and Carrickfergus, also connects Larne to the Northern Ireland Railways network. Currently there is no freight transport by rail in Northern Ireland. Both Larne Town railway station and Larne Harbour railway station opened on 1 October 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965.
• The Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway. 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.

Larne Harbour from the hill at Inver.   P&O "Express" fast passenger ferry entering Larne harbour.   Freight ship docking at the port.   The iconic Blackcave Tunnel or "Black Arch" at the start of the scenic Antrim Coast Road at the northern edge of Larne.   Railway just south of Larne.

Education

There are a number of educational establishments in the area:

Primary Schools:

• Antiville Primary School
• Cairncastle Primary School
• Corran Integrated Primary School
• Glynn Primary School
• Linn Primary School
• Larne & Inver Primary School
• Moyle Primary School
• Olderfleet Primary School
• St. Anthony's Primary School
• St. Macnissi's Primary School
• St. Mary's Primary School
• Toreagh Primary School

Secondary Schools:

• Larne Grammar School
• Larne High School
• St Killian's College (recent amalgamation of St. Comgall's College and St. MacNissi's College, Garron Tower)

Further education:

• Northern Regional College (formerly Larne Technical College)

Public Services

Larne Town Hall

• Larne Fire Station
• Larne Library
• Larne Police Station
• Larne Ambulance Station
• Moyle Hospital (limited services after closure of accident & emergency)
• RNLI Larne Lifeboat Station

Larne Harbour Police

Larne Harbour Police is a small specialised police force, with approximately seven officers, responsible for policing Larne Harbour 24 hours per day. The officers of the force are sworn in as special constables under the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847, and are responsible to Larne Harbour Ltd. Jurisdiction of the constables extends to one mile beyond the Harbour Complex. The force are subject to the oversight of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

Notable people

• Aaron Black, Footballer
• Billy Brown, Musician
• Father Pat Buckley, Independent Catholic priest.
• Michael Gregory Campbell, Bishop of Lancster
• Dave Clements, Footballer and football manager.
• Fyfe Ewing, Musician, Drummer, formerly with rock band Therapy?
• Robert Ferguson, Disc jockey
• Keith Gillespie, Sheffield United and Northern Ireland midfielder.
• Mark Haggan, Businessman & Charity activist
• Richard Hayward, actor, singer and author
• Valerie Hobson, actress
• Jeff Hughes, Footballer
• Michael Hughes, Wimbledon and Coventry City footballer
• Valerie Lilley, actor from TV programmme Shameless
• Phillip Magee, The X Factor (UK series 2) finalist.
• Dave McAuley, former IBF Flyweight world champion boxer.
• Bobby McKee, Democratic Unionist Party councillor and former Ulster Volunteer Force member.
• Jack McKee, Alderman and Veteran Loyalist politician and brother of Bobby.
• Michael McKeegan, Musician, with rock band Therapy?
• Amanda McKittrick Ros, author and poet taught at Millbrook National School in the 1880s.
• Eddie Mooney, Musician, with The Dakotas and The Fortunes.
• Hugh Nelson, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1830–1893).
• Robert Nelson, electronic music producer making up half of Agnelli & Nelson.
• Jonathan Rea, world superbike rider
• Keith Semple of One True Voice from the ITV series Popstars The Rivals.
• Harry Towb, Actor

Freedom of the borough

In memory of a battle in the town of Musa Qala in Afghanistan in 2006, involving the Royal Irish Regiment, a new regimental march, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned by Larne Borough Council, was gifted to the regiment on Saturday 1 November 2008 in Larne, during an event in which the regiment was also 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.

Sport

• Larne F.C.
• Larne R.F.C.
• Larne Hockey Club
• Larne Cricket Club
• Larne Golf Club
• Cairndhu Golf Club
• Latharna Óg G.A.A Club (Latharna Og hurlers)
• Cairndhu Rowing Club
• East Antrim Boat Club
• Larne Boat Club
• Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club
• Larne Athletics Club
• Larne Swimming Club
• Larne & District Game Angling Association

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of RNLI stations
• Larne Gun Running
• Lathar

External links

• Larne Town
• Larne Borough Council
• A history of the Port of Larne
• Larne History