Mrs Coe’s ‘captivating’ Carrick memoirs being snapped up

Helen Rankin (left), chair of Carrickfergus and District Historical Society, officially hands over Mrs Coes original manuscript to the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Councillor Billy Ashe, included are Shirin Murphy, Museums officer and Ron Bishop, editor. The manuscript will now be permanently housed in Carrickfergus Museum. INCT 47-756-CON

‘Mrs Coe’s Carrickfergus - Memories of a Carrickfergus Childhood Beyond the Graveyard Walls’ has just been published - with over 80 copies snapped up for the special launch price (£7.00).

The publication contains the edited memoirs of Sarah Harrison Coe, who was raised in Victorian Carrickfergus within the town walls.

Speaking at the Town Hall launch, the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Billy Ashe said: “I would like to commend Carrickfergus and District Historical Society for undertaking the task of editing and publishing this very special piece of social history of our town.”

The journal was penned over several years by Sarah Harrison Coe. INCT 45-757-CON

The audience at the Antrim Street location heard editor Ron Bishop reveal some of the fascinating episodes which Mrs Coe relates in her memoirs - humorous, sad, poignant, yet all captivating.

The manuscript was originally edited by the late Charles McConnell, a stalwart of the historical society, before Ron took up the mantle.

Along with the editing committee and Carrickfergus Museum, Ron added contemporary photographs and maps whilst maintaining the ethos of the original text.

Copies of the book can be purchased from Carrickfergus Visitor Information for £8.99, telephone 028 9335 8241 or email [email protected] or from John Hulme, Carrickfergus and District Historical Society secretary, telephone 028 93361215.