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Larne

Coordinates:54°51′06″N05°48′48″W/ 54.85167°N 5.81333°W/54.85167; -5.81333
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Larne
2020 view looking south-east towards Larne Harbour,Islandmagee,and down the length ofLarne Lough
Larne Coat of Arms
Larne is located in Northern Ireland
Larne
Larne
Location withinNorthern Ireland
Population18,853 (2021 census)
Irish grid referenceD4102
•Belfast30 km (19 mi)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLARNE
Postcode districtBT40
Dialling code028
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Antrim
54°51′06″N05°48′48″W/ 54.85167°N 5.81333°W/54.85167; -5.81333

Larne(fromIrishLatharna,[ˈl̪ˠahəɾˠn̪ˠə],the name of aGaelicterritory)[1][2][3]is a town on the east coast ofCounty Antrim,Northern Ireland,with a population of 18,853 at the2021 census.[4]It is a major passenger and freightroll-on roll-offport.[5]Larne is administered byMid and East Antrim Borough Council.Together with parts of the neighbouring districts ofAntrim and NewtownabbeyandCauseway Coast and Glens,it forms theEast Antrim constituencyfor elections to theWestminster ParliamentandNorthern Ireland Assembly.The civil parish is in the historicbaronyofGlenarm Upper.[6]

History

[edit]
Larne c.1888

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 theNorth Channel.Knockdhu,north of Larne, was the site of aBronze Agepromontory fortand 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 foundflintworkand other artefacts which have been assigned dates from 6000 BC onwards. The termLarnianhas even been coined by archaeologists to describe such flintworks and similar artefacts of theMesolithicera (and one time to describe Mesolithic culture in Ireland as a whole).[7][8][9]Larnian is also currently used to refer to people from Larne.

Larne takes its name fromLatharna,aGaelicterritory ortúaththat was part of theUlaidminor-kingdom ofDál nAraidi.[10]The name spelt asLatharnewas used at one point in reference to the Anglo-NormancantredofCarrickfergus.[10]Latharnaitself means "descendants ofLathar",with Lathar according to legend being a son of the pre-Christian kingÚgaine Mór.[11]The town sprang up where the River Inver flows into Larne Lough. This area was known in Irish asInbhear an Latharna( "rivermouth/estuary of Latharna" )[12]and was later anglicised asInver Larneor simplyInver.Latharnawas only applied exclusively to the town in recent centuries. TheRomanemperorSeverusis 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 beLarne Lough. There wasVikingactivity 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.[13]Ulfreksfjordwas anOld Norsename for Larne Lough. According to the Norse historianSnorri Sturluson,Connor, King of Ireland, defeatedOrkneyVikings atUlfreksfjordin 1018. Later anglicised names includeWulfrichford,Wolderfirth,Wolverfleteand the surviving nameOlderfleet.The ending-fleetcomes from the Norsefljot,meaning "inlet".[14]Older-may come from the Norseoldu,meaning "wave".[14]

Ruins ofOlderfleet Castlein the late 19th century

In the 13th century the ScotsBissett familybuiltOlderfleet Castleat Curran Point. In 1315,Edward the Bruceof Scotland (brother ofRobert the Bruce,King of Scotland) landed at Larne with his 6000 strong army en route to conquer Ireland, whereOlderfleet Castlewas of strategic importance. Edward saw Ireland as another front in the ongoing war against Norman England.

In 1569, QueenElizabeth I,Queen of England and Ireland, appointedSir Moyses Hillas the governor of Olderfleet Castle. It was seen as strategically important for anyTudor conquest of Ulster.Following the 17th centuryUnion of the Crownsof Scotland, England and Ireland underJames VI & Imany more settlers would have arrived to Ulster via Larne during thePlantation 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.

During the 18th century manyScots-Irishemigrated to America from the port of Larne. A monument in the Curran Park commemorates theFriends Goodwill,the first emigrant ship to sail from Larne in May 1717, heading for Boston, Massachusetts in theNew Englandregion of the modern United States of America. Boston's long standingScots-Irishroots 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-fatedrebellion of 1798.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 withMcCrackenand fight in theBattle of Antrim.[15]

In 1914,Loyalistsopposed to theHome Rule Act 1914prepared for armed resistance. In an episode known as theLarne Gun RunningGerman, Austrian and Italian weapons with ammunition were transported into the ports of Larne and Bangor in the dead of night and distributed throughout Ulster.[16]This event marked a major step in cementing the right toUlster Unionistself-determination,with the recognition of such a right ultimately leading to the creation ofNorthern Ireland.

The Troubles

[edit]

Larne throughout the course ofThe Troubleshad a significant paramilitary presence in the town, mostly through the presence of theUlster Volunteer Force(UVF) andUlster Defence Association(UDA). For further information seeUDA South East Antrim Brigade.

The town suffered a number ofProvisional Irish Republican Army(IRA) bomb attacks during The Troubles, notably including a large car bomb at the King's Arms hotel[17]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.[18]

Incidents which involved fatalities

  • 16 September 1972: Sinclair Johnston a UVF member, was shot by theRoyal Ulster Constabularyduring street disturbances in the town when theRoyal Ulster Constabularywere protecting Catholics living in St Johns Place.[19]
  • 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.[20]
  • 6 February 1975: Colette Brown, a Catholic, was found by the side of the Killyglen Road after being shot by Loyalists.[21]Two men, one a UVF member the other a Lance Corporal in the UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) were later convicted of her murder.[22]
  • 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.[23]
  • 24 August 1980: Rodney McCormick a Catholic, was shot dead by theUlster Defence Association(UDA) in the Antiville area of the town. TheRoyal Ulster Constabularyconvicted the gunmen involved.[24]
  • 11 July 2000: Andrew Cairns a UVF member, was killed by members of the UDA[25]at aneleventh nightbonfire celebration in a suspected loyalist feud at Boyne Square. He may also have been murdered due to his alleged involvement in an earlier assault.[26]TheRoyal Ulster Constabularydetective inspector, George Montgomery, did not find any motive for the murder.David Ervine(PUP) stated that there was no Loyalist feud.[27]

Geography

[edit]
Photograph looking north fromIslandmageeillustrating the proximity toScotland.

In the foreground isIslandmageein Northern Ireland, followed byStena Lineferries entering and leaving Larne, andThe Maidenslighthouses.

In the background are the ScottishPaps of Juraon the left andMull of Kintyreon the right.

Larne sits on the western side of a narrow inlet that linksLarne Loughto the sea. On the eastern side of the inlet is apeninsulacalledIslandmagee.To the west of Larne is the ancient volcanic formation ofAntrim Plateau,with its glaciated valleys scenically sweeping down to the sea to the north of Larne in what are known as theGlens of Antrim.Larne is 25 miles from the Scottish mainland, with views across theNorth Channeltowards theMull of Kintyre,Rhins of Galloway,IslayandPaps of Juraoften visible from the Larne area – this proximity toScotlandhas had a defining influence on Larne's history and culture.

The town is within the smallparishof the same name. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is divided intotownlands.The following is a list of townlands within Larne's urban area, along with their likelyetymologies:[28]

  • Antiville (likely fromAn Tigh Bhilemeaning "the house of the old tree" )
  • Ballyboley (fromBaile Buailemeaning "townland of thebooley/dairy place ")
  • Ballycraigy (fromBaile Creigemeaning "townland of the rocky outcrop" )
  • Ballyloran (fromBaile Loairnmeaning "Loarn's townland" )
  • Blackcave North
  • Blackcave South
  • Curran and Drumalis (fromCórranmeaning "crescent" andDruim a' Liosmeaning "ridge of the ringfort" )
  • Greenland
  • Inver (fromInbhearmeaning "rivermouth" )

Many street names in Larne end inbrae,such as 'Whitla's Brae' which comes from the Scots for "hillside".

Civil parish of Larne

[edit]

The civil parish contains the following townlands:[6] Antiville,Ballyboley,Ballycraigy,Ballyloran,Blackcave North,Blackcave South,Curran and Drumaliss,Glebe,GreenlandandTown Parks.

[edit]
North Channel,Larne town,IslandmageeandLarne Loughfrom The Roddens.
Panorama of theAntrim Plateauand 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,BallygallyHead,North Channel

Places of interest

[edit]
Looking towards Chaine Memorial Tower and north along the Antrim Coast towards theGlens of Antrim
The bandstand on Larne Main Street. Removed in 2016 during upgrade work to the town centre pavements.
Mazein the shape of Northern Ireland inCarnfunnock Country Park

The town has several parks, including Town Park, Chaine Park, Curran Park, and Smiley Park.[29]Other leisure facilities include Larne Leisure Centre[30]and Larne Museum & Arts Centre.[31]Cairndhu Golf Course is situated atop ofBallygallyHead[32]and Larne Golf Course on sits atop of theIslandmageepeninsula.[33]

Significant buildings and structures includeOlderfleet Castle.[34]

Magheramorne,5 miles to the south alongLarne Lough,[35]has a film studio which was used to film much ofHBOTV SeriesGame of Thrones.[36]

Demography

[edit]

2021 Census

[edit]

On census day (21 March 2021) there were 18,853 people living in Larne.[4]Of these:

  • 17.77% were aged under 16, 63.10% were aged between 16-65, and 19.13% were aged 66 and over.[37]
  • 51.27% of the usually resident population were female and 48.73% were male.[38]
  • 62.4% belong to or were brought upProtestant(including other Christian-related denominations), 23.9% belong to or were brought upCatholic,0.9% belong to or were brought up in an 'other' religion, and 12.8%did not adhere toor weren't brought up in any religion.[39]
  • 66.6% indicated that they had a British national identity,[40]38.3% had a Northern Irish national identity,[41]10.3% had an Irish national identity,[42]and 4.2% indicated they had an 'other' national identity.[43](respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
  • 17.51% had some knowledge ofUlster Scotsand 3.84% had some knowledge ofIrish(Gaeilge).

2011 Census

[edit]

On census day (27 March 2011) there were 18,755 people living in Larne, accounting for 1.04% of the NI total.[44][45]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 (Gaeilge).

Industry and commerce

[edit]
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 stationin Northern Ireland's main power station. Other energy operators in Larne include B9 Energy (a renewable energy development company).[46]

Larne is also home to the headquarters of Caterpillar (NI) Limited (part of theCaterpillar groupwhich manufactures diesel and gas generators),[47]InspecVision(industrial inspection equipment),[citation needed]TerumoBCT (a Japanese manufacturer of intravenous drip solutions and blood products),[48]and the LEDCOM (Larne Enterprise Development Company) business park.[49]

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.[50]

Transport

[edit]
Larne Harbour from the hill at Inver

Ferry

[edit]

Ferries sail from the harbour toCairnryanin 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. AnIrish Sea Bridgehas been proposed, connecting Larne with Portpatrick in Scotland.

Road

[edit]
TheBlackcave Tunnelor "Black Arch"at the start of the scenicAntrim Coast Roadat the northern edge of Larne.

Larne is connected toBelfastby theA8 road.TheA2 roador 'Antrim coast road' which runs along the Antrim coast, and passes through the scenicGlens of Antrim,also serves the town. South of the town the A2 passes the side ofLarne Lough,viaGlynn,Magheramorne,andBallycarry,toWhiteheadandCarrickfergus.TheA36 roadruns from the town toBallymena.

Rail

[edit]

TheBelfast–Larne railway lineconnects toBelfast Grand CentralandBelfast Lanyon Place,viaWhitehead,CarrickfergusandJordanstown,also connects Larne to theNorthern Ireland Railwaysnetwork.Currently there is no freight transport by rail in Northern Ireland. BothLarne Town railway stationandLarne Harbour railway stationopened on 1 October 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965.[51]

TheBallymena and Larne Railwaywas anarrow 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.

Public services

[edit]
Larne Town Hall

Larne Town Hall,the former headquarters of Larne Borough Council, was completed in 1870.[52]Moyle Hospitaloffers limited services after the closure of its accident and emergency department.[53]

Education

[edit]

Secondary schools serving the area includeLarne Grammar SchoolandLarne High School.[54]Northern Regional College(formerly Larne Technical College) is a college of further education.[55]

Notable people

[edit]
See also:Category:People from Larne

Freedom of the borough

[edit]

In memory of a battle in the town ofMusa Qalain Afghanistan in 2006, involving theRoyal Irish Regiment,a new regimental march, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned byLarne Borough Council,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 namedMusa Qala.[57]

Events

[edit]

The Friends Goodwill Music Festival occurs in May each year and supports local music.[58]

Sport

[edit]

Larne F.C.,a professionalassociation footballclub, plays in theNIFL Premiership.[59]Local amateur football clubs includeLarne Technical Old Boys F.C.andWellington Recreation F.C.[60]

Twin city

[edit]

Larne is twinned withClover,South Carolina,which has named one of its schools,Larne Elementary School,[61]after Larne.

Notable facts

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abLarne/Latharna.Placenames Database of Ireland.
  2. ^"Postal Towns/Bailte Poist"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 February 2012..Northern Ireland Place-Name Project.Queen's University Belfast.
  3. ^Room, Adrian.Placenames of the World.McFarland, 2006. p.213
  4. ^ab"Settlement 2015".NISRA.Retrieved21 August2023.
  5. ^Tibus, Website design and website development by."Port of Larne – About Us – History".Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2019.Retrieved16 April2017.
  6. ^ab"Larne".IreAtlas Townlands Database.Retrieved20 April2015.
  7. ^"Larne Borough council – Local History and Heritage".Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2015.Retrieved16 April2017.
  8. ^"Answers – The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions".Answers.Retrieved16 April2017.
  9. ^"Larnian industry – ancient culture".Retrieved16 April2017.
  10. ^abMacCotter, Paul (31 October 2014).Medieval Ireland. Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions.The Heritage Council.ISBN9781846825576.
  11. ^Place Names Northern Ireland."Larne, County Antrim".Retrieved29 August2016.
  12. ^Patrick Weston Joyce(1870).Irish Local Names Explained.Retrieved10 October2020– via Library Ireland.
  13. ^"Fejl: Siden blev ikke fundet / adgang er ikke tilladt".Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2012.Retrieved16 April2017.
  14. ^abGeoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy.The Norse Discoverers of America.Clarendon Press, 1921.
  15. ^Hope, J., & Newsinger, J. (2001). United Irishman: the autobiography of James Hope: The autobiography of James Hope. p33-34 London: Merlin.
  16. ^A. T. Q. Stewart: "The Ulster Crisis", London, Faber and Faber Ltd., 1967 SBN 571 08066 9
  17. ^"PaceMaker Press".Retrieved16 April2017.
  18. ^"Terrorist Incident (Larne)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).6 May 1980.Retrieved16 April2017.
  19. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 264-265
  20. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 495-496
  21. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 514-515
  22. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 366
  23. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 575-576
  24. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 836
  25. ^"UVF man shot as loyalists fall out".The Guardian.13 July 2000.Retrieved2 December2022.
  26. ^David McKittrick et alLost Livespage 1478-1479
  27. ^"BBC News – NORTHERN IRELAND – Fresh appeal after bonfire murder".Retrieved16 April2017.
  28. ^"Northern Ireland Placenames Project".Retrieved12 June2010.
  29. ^"Larne Borough Council overview".Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2015.Retrieved16 April2017.
  30. ^"Leisure Centre".Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2012.Retrieved16 April2017.
  31. ^"bB tra định ☆ siêu giản 単に kếch xù tra định ゲット! わかりやすく giải thích しています".Retrieved16 April2017.
  32. ^"Home".Retrieved16 April2017.
  33. ^"Home".Retrieved16 April2017.
  34. ^"Olderfleet Castle"(PDF).Environment and Heritage Service NI – State Care Historic Monuments.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 22 July 2012.Retrieved3 December2007.
  35. ^"Magheramorne reinvented by Lafarge".Archived fromthe originalon 28 June 2016.Retrieved16 April2017.
  36. ^Game of ThronesSeason 5: A Day in the Life.HBO.8 February 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.Retrieved17 July2017– viaYouTube.
  37. ^"Preview data for your table | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved29 March2024.
  38. ^"Preview data for Sex (MS-A07) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved29 March2024.
  39. ^"Religion or religion brought up in".NISRA.Retrieved21 August2023.
  40. ^"National Identity (British)".NISRA.Retrieved21 August2023.
  41. ^"National Identity (Northern Irish)".NISRA.Retrieved21 August2023.
  42. ^"National Identity (Irish)".NISRA.Retrieved21 August2023.
  43. ^"Preview data for National identity (person based) - basic detail (classification 1) (MS-B15) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved29 March2024.
  44. ^"Census 2011 Population Statistics for Larne Settlement".Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency(NISRA).Retrieved10 August2019.This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under theOpen Government Licence v3.0.© Crown copyright.
  45. ^"Census 2011 Population Statistics for Larne Local Government District".Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency(NISRA).Retrieved17 January2017.
  46. ^Energy, B9."B9 Energy Homepage".Retrieved16 April2017.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  47. ^"FGW – Contact Us".Retrieved16 April2017.
  48. ^"Terumo BCT".Retrieved16 April2017.
  49. ^"LEDCOM -Expert business advice and resources in Larne and Co. Antrim".Retrieved16 April2017.
  50. ^"Larne Borough Council – Larne Market".Archived fromthe originalon 1 April 2014.Retrieved16 April2017.
  51. ^"Larne stations"(PDF).Railscot – Irish Railways.Retrieved28 August2007.
  52. ^"Town Hall (HB 06/12/002)".Department for Communities.Retrieved29 June2021.
  53. ^"Moyle Hospital, Larne".National Archives.Retrieved29 March2020.
  54. ^"Larne High School shares successes with Minister".Controlled Schools Support Council. 1 October 2020.Retrieved18 November2022.
  55. ^"Principal's reception".Northern Regional College.Retrieved18 November2022.
  56. ^"Bobby McKee elected new Mayor of Larne".Larne Times.Johnston Publishing. 12 June 2008.Retrieved11 August2014.
  57. ^"New march to be gifted at Larne ceremony".Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2012.Retrieved16 April2017.
  58. ^"Friends Goodwill Music Festival returns to Larne".Belfast Live.29 April 2022.Retrieved18 November2022.
  59. ^"Larne FC owner Kenny Bruce lobbied Stormont parties to back embattled Mid and East Antrim council Boss after NI Protocol letter row".Belfast Live. 14 May 2021.Retrieved1 January2022.
  60. ^"Wellington Recreation F.C."Northern Amateur Football League.Retrieved18 November2022.
  61. ^"Larne Elementary School / Homepage".Retrieved16 April2017.
  62. ^"Larnite Mineral Data".webmineral.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Cowsill, Miles (1998).Stranraer–Larne: The Car Ferry Era.Narberth, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications.ISBN1871947405.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toLarne.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forLarne.
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