Update on 2020-21 Season

By now Randalstown Historical Society’s programme for meetings for the coming season would normally have been circulated and we would be looking forward to our first gathering. This year is different.

The committee has had a brief discussion by email and we have agreed that there will certainly be no meetings held for the remainder of 2020. We will keep our eye on the situation and try and take a view towards the end of the year on whether we can plan for some meetings in 2021. It will all depend on whether the regulations regarding COVID-19 ease to the extent that make our gatherings in ARCHES Hall seem practicable and, above all, safe.

I’ll post news of any further developments when that’s available. In the meantime I hope all members continue to stay safe and well.

Brian Mawhinney MBE

Randalstown Historical Society has been very saddened to learn of the death of past Chairman, Brian Mawhinney on Tuesday 7 April.

Although Brian was best known for his involvement in scouting he was for many years a leading member of the Historical Society. He succeeded Christine Doherty, the founding Chair, in 1995 and held the position until 1997. He served a further term as Chair from 2001 to January 2004 and was always a source of wise counsel. He and his wife Betty continued as active members as long as their health permitted.

Brian had been in failing health for the last few years and had become increasingly frail. He died peacefully at home having been recently discharged from hospital.

Update for Lockdown

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Tonight I should have been talking to you all about Lord Macartney, the man from Lissanoure who led Britain’s first embassy to China in the 18th Century. Instead we’re all doing what we can to keep ourselves safe from the … Continue reading →

November meeting

Randalstown Historical Society’s next meeting takes place on Thursday 7 November at 8.00 pm in Arches Community Hall. Sebastian Graham will be speaking on Mills Around Randalstown: Water Power to Steam Power. Existing and new members all welcome.

25th Anniversary Season

The 2019-20 season marks the 25th anniversary of Randalstown Historical Society and will kick off with a celebratory event to be held at the Station House at Shanes Castle on Saturday 14 September from 1.00pm. A buffet lunch will be followed by a talk by Rev Canon Derek Kerr on the theme of “Royal Bits and Pieces”. Admission is £10 and anyone wishing to attend should contact Linda Houston (028 9447 2874) as soon as possible and certainly no later than Friday 6 September.

Information on the programme for the rest of the season can be found on our Programme page.

Outing to Greyabbey – And What’s Next?

Randalstown Historical Society’s annual outing, held on Saturday 1 June, was to the village of Greyabbey on the Ards Peninsula. The first stop was Grey Abbey House, home of the Montgomery family who have lived here since the 17th Century. We were given a warm welcome and the Gardener led us first on a tour of the gardens, in particular the area dedicated to plants from the southern hemisphere. This was followed by a fascinating tour of the splendid Georgian house. We enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading over to the ruins of Grey Abbey itself where a volunteer guide from the Friends of the Abbey group told us something of the abbey’s history. Close to the abbey is a well-presented interpretation centre and a beautiful physic garden where volunteers tend many of the herbs which would have been grown in the heyday of the abbey. There was also the opportunity to explore St Saviours Parish Church before bringing our tour to an end. All in all an enjoyable day out and even the weather was on our side!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming up in later in June, Randalstown Historical Society and Tidy Randalstown will jointly host 2 walking tours of Randalstown with the theme of horticulture and history as part of the annual Arches Festival. The tours are free but must be booked in advance with the Arches office on 9447 8471.

Walks schedule:
Tuesday 18 June at 7.00 pm
Wednesday 19 June at 10.30 am.

25th Anniversary
The 2019-2020 season will mark 25 years since the founding of Randalstown Historical Society. Our first gathering of the new season will take the form of a celebratory event to be held on the afternoon of Saturday 14 September at the Station House in Shanes Castle. Further details of this later.

The remainder of the season

Randalstown Historical Society held its AGM on Thursday 3 January when Dr Selbert Rainey stepped down from the Chair having served a three-year term. He is replaced by Mrs Isobel Montgomery who has served on the Executive Committee for a number of years. After the AGM the members heard a talk from John Sheldon of Templepatrick Historical Society on the history of Loughanmore House and its owners down the years.

The February meeting, taking place on Thursday 7^th, will have an archaeological theme with Claire Foley talking about the excavation of Creggandevesky Court Tomb in County Tyrone, providing a glimpse into prehistoric Ireland.

One of our own members, Ellen O’Boyle, will be the speaker at the meeting on 7 March. The local Gaelic Club, Tír na nÓg, celebrates its centenary in 2019 so Ellen will be talking about the Club’s first hundred years.

The season will come to an end with a talk on Thursday 4 April on the history of the Glenarm Estate by estate manager, Adrian Morrow.

All talks take place in Arches Community Hall on the first Thursday of the month at 8.00 pm. New and returning members will be made very welcome

 

The new season approaches

Randalstown Historical Society’s first meeting of the the 2018-19 season will take place in Arches Community Hall on Thursday 6 September at 8.00 pm when Dr Ron Bishop from Carrickfergus will make a return visit, this time to give a talk on a Victorian Childhood in East Antrim.

New and returning members will all be welcome. In addition to the modest annual membership fee, those attending are asked to contribute £1 at each meeting to help defray expenses.

Details of meetings taking place during the remainder of the season can be found on our Programme page.

May Outing

Twenty-four members of Randalstown Historical Society had an enjoyable day on Saturday 12 May visiting St. Nicholas’s Church in Carrickfergus and the Railway Museum in Whitehead. Guided tours were provided in both locations the sunny weather was an added bonus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March meeting cancelled

The meeting due to take place tonight, 1 March, has been cancelled owing to the weather conditions. Our speaker was coming some distance and the area where she lives has had heavy snow. We will try to re-book her for next season.

Meanwhile, the final meeting of the current season will take place on Thursday 5th April when Peter Dawson, formerly of the Ordnance Survey, will talk about mapping in Northern Ireland.