Orangefield Cultural Society takes in key sites during visit to Ballycarry

The Orangefield group at the grave of Robert J McKeown, a parliamentary secretary in the first Northern Ireland government.

The group visited St. John’s Parish Church and historic graves as well as the Ballycarry 100 exhibition during their trip on Saturday.

The Society, from Kilkeel and Ballinran in County Down, were visiting the area as part of a tour in Belfast and Newtownabbey.

Tour guide Dr David Hume included a visit to the White House in Newtownabbey and the grave of an MP in the first Northern Ireland parliament at Ballycarry as part of the tour.

Kate McEwan of St John's Parish Church welcomed Keith Parke, group leader of the Orangefield Cultural Society to the church.

They visited St John’s church to see the McClintock memorial plaque and other memorials inside the church, as well as the grave of Robert J McKeown MP, a parliamentary secretary to the first Northern Ireland government.

They also saw the grave of Edward Brice, the first Presbyterian minister in Ireland in the adjacent Templecorran cemetery before visiting the Ballycarry 100 exhibition in the village community centre.

The exhibition is part of the Northern Ireland 100 centenary commemorations and features 100 artefacts from the village past, as well as static exhibitions produced by the community group over the years.