Official launch for 'Sails and Tales' exhibition on Carrick's maritime heritage

Housed within the newly restored Kelly’s Coal Office, the free display takes the visitor through over 800 years of maritime history within the town.

The exhibition will launch during Mid and East Antrim Industrial Heritage Week (May 30 - June 6).

The project was awarded £10,000 through the Community Heritage Fund, which the National Lottery Heritage Fund has delivered on behalf of the Department for Communities.

The funding aimed to help people in Northern Ireland to connect with their local heritage.

Some 29 projects from across Northern Ireland, including Positive Carrickfergus, were awarded grants totalling £241,900, helping people to strengthen connections with the heritage in their community.

‘Sails and Tales’ was developed with the support of the local community, and Lee Robb, Positive Carrickfergus, said: "It was important for the project to reflect the priorities and interests of the local communities. This was an opportunity for participants to share their memories and stories and for most, it was the first time they had helped develop an exhibition.

"As part of the exhibition, we all thought it was important to use the space to signpost other sites of interest across the town. Hopefully, this will encourage visitors to explore the wider area. On behalf of Positive Carrickfergus, I would like to thank Mark Cobain and Robin Stewart for the use of the space, and Carrickfergus Museum for providing access to their collection and image library."

Positive Carrickfergus prioritise access for all, and to ensure everyone has the opportunity to view the exhibition, the next stage will see the display recorded virtually.

This second phase of the project will seek crowd funding to create a VR model of the exhibition which will be hosted on the Positive Carrickfergus website.

The public are invited to join Positive Carrickfergus on May 31 from 11am – 2pm to help launch the new exhibition.

All activity will be managed within the most up to date Covid-19 guidelines, and access will be restricted.