Carrickfergus: Acclaimed soloist leads Somme remembrance evening

Acclaimed vocalist Aled Jones topped the bill at the Northern Ireland Battle of the Somme Centenary Festival of Remembrance in Carrickfergus at the weekend.
Acclaimed vocalist Aled Jones performs at the Battle of the Somme Centenary Festival of Remembrance held in the shadow of Carrickfergus Castle to an audience of 4000 people. Photo by Harrison Photography. INCT 27-701-CONAcclaimed vocalist Aled Jones performs at the Battle of the Somme Centenary Festival of Remembrance held in the shadow of Carrickfergus Castle to an audience of 4000 people. Photo by Harrison Photography. INCT 27-701-CON
Acclaimed vocalist Aled Jones performs at the Battle of the Somme Centenary Festival of Remembrance held in the shadow of Carrickfergus Castle to an audience of 4000 people. Photo by Harrison Photography. INCT 27-701-CON

A capacity audience of almost 4,000 people gathered in the shadow of the castle to remember the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.

Friday’s three-hour spectacular concert marked the service and sacrifice of Irish soldiers during the bloody conflict.

Jones performed ‘Carrickfergus’ against the backdrop of the medieval fortress before the evening concluded with a Drumhead Service by the band of the Irish Guards.

Poppies fell as the festival of music, drama, recitals and letters from the trenches ended an emotional journey as Mid and East Antrim Borough Council formally marked 100 years since the first day of the Battle of the Somme.