Carrickfergus: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 37 - 101 Premier Inn Carrickfergus
 Offering comfort and value by pretty Carrickfergus Harbour, Premier Inn Carrickfergus is 0.5 miles from the town centre and is ideal for visiting the … MoreGBP 45 - 80 Dobbins Inn Hotel
 Set in a 13th-century building, the Dobbins Inn Hotel boasts historical features, free Wi-Fi and an award-winning restaurant. In Carrickfergus centre,… MoreGBP 50 - 250 Clarion Hotel Carrickfergus
 In a historical location and walking distance from shops, pubs and restaurants, this hotel boasts easy access to the Antrim Coast and the Causeway Coa… More | ||||||||||||||||||
Carrickfergus: Guide
Carrickfergus (2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre for Carrickfergus Borough Council. It is Co Antrim's oldest town and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king of Dál Riata.
It lies about 6 miles from the ancient village of Straid.
Carrickfergus stands on the north shore of Belfast Lough and is home to the 12th century Carrickfergus Castle, one of the best-preserved Normans|Norman castles in Ireland. It was built around 1180 by John de Courcy. The church of St Nicholas also dates from the late 12th century.
The town was formerly an important centre for the textile industry. It now is a centre for leisure sailing, and is home to Carrickfergus Marina and Carrickfergus Sailing Club. The town is inside the Greater Belfast conurbation, being 18.3 kilometres (11.4 miles) from Belfast City Centre.
As an urban settlement, Carrickfergus predates Belfast and was for a lengthy period both larger and more prominent than the nearby city. Belfast Lough itself was called 'Carrickfergus Bay' well into the 17th century. Carrickfergus and the surrounding area was, for a time, treated as a separate county. Today, the town is part of County Antrim in the 32 counties of Ireland. In 1637 the town sold its customs rights - which ran from Groomsport in County Down up to Larne in County Antrim - to Belfast and this in part lead to its decline in importance as the province of Ulster grew.
People
Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, was born in 1767 in the predominantly Irish-Scots Waxshaws area of South Carolina two years after his parents left Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus. A heritage centre in the village pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the People's President.
Acorn Primary School
Carrickfergus Rugby Football Club
Carrickfergus is classified by the as a Large Town (ie population between 18,000 and 75,000 people) and within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 27,201 people living in Carrickfergus. Of these:
For more details see:
List of towns in Northern Ireland
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Carrickfergus". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
William Orr, United Irishmen|United Irishman was hanged in Carrickfergus on October 14 1797 for his part in the failed rebellion.
Louis MacNeice's family moved to the town when the poet was two years old (his father was appointed vicar of St Nicholas), and he left at the age of ten to attend boarding school in England. One of MacNeice's most well-known poems, Carrickfergus (1937), relates his ambiguous feelings about the town where he spent his early boyhood.
Neighbours actress Jackie Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus in 1957.
Robert Adrain, (1775-1843), mathematician, considered one of the best mathematical minds of his time, was born in Carrickfergus
Stuart Robinson host of Northern Ireland's Young Star Search lived in Victoria in Carrickfergus during the 1980s and is also a presenter on Belfast CityBeat. In recent years he has also acquired ownership of Carrick radio station Castle FM and Bangor FM in North Down.
Citybeat 96.7FM Radio Star Andy Pugh hails from Carrickfergus
Current WWE wrestler Dave Finlay was born and raised in Carrickfergus Education
There are many primary and secondary schools in Carrickfergus.
Carrickfergus Grammar School
Carrickfergus College
Downshire School
Eden Primary School
Oakfield Primary School
Ulidia Integrated College
Victoria Primary School
Woodburn Primary School
Woodlawn Primary School
Sunnylands Primary School
St.nicholas primary school Sport
Carrick Rangers
Carrickfergus Sailing Club
Carrickfergus Golf Club
Carrickfergus Cricket Club 2001 Census
23.2% were aged under 16 years and 15.9% were aged 60 and over
48.6% of the population were male and 51.4% were female
7.8% were from a Catholic background (the lowest of any large town in Northern Ireland) and 86.1% were from a Protestantism|Protestant background
3.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.Town twinning
Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth, New Hampshire References
See also
List of villages in Northern Ireland
List of Irish Towns with a Market House
Carrickfergus (the song)External links
(BBC website, RealAudio file)