Tourist Trail for Dervock?

Mrs Jennifer Laverty with Big Ken's Breakfast Frankie Cunningham with pamphlets (local history) and Dave Kane (Dervock Community Association).

The aim of the initiative is to exploit the existing culture and heritage within the village and its surrounding area including Derrykeighan, Mosside, Bushmills, Armoy, Ballybogey and Liscolman.

Frankie Cunningham, Project Co-ordinator of PIP (Peace Impact Programme)explained: “We have examined the working document to strengthen the establishment of a tourist trail (creating tour guides). The trail could be developed to include themed trails namely Trafalgar Day, President McKinley Birthday Bash, Lord McCartney Day, KK McArthur Festival, The Great War (WWI) and the Linen industry to which the townland would have a genuine link. Developed properly this could encourage a social economy project which can be linked to other initiatives from NITB, Local Councils / Museums, National Trust etc.”

An initiative supported by Ultoniae Cultural and Heritage Society and Dervock and District Community Association, has also seen the local café, Mill Tea Room, market a big breakfast associated with the story of Dervock born Kennedy Kane McArthur (Olympian Gold Medallist).

Mr Cunningham explained: “Historians/academics record that every morning, Ken would start his day off with a bowl of porridge and a big Ulster fry.

“In admiration of this, Jennifer Laverty from Mill Tea Room has created a big Breakfast called ‘Big Ken’s’ Breakfast, an Olympian start to the day, priced at £6.13p, which references his running number when he won ‘Olympic Gold’ in Sweden 1912.”

Mrs Laverty added: “When approached to launch this suggestion, themed around local heroes and figures of historical interest, we were only too happy to get involved and embrace the reason behind the proposal.”

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Mr Cunningham concluded: “Already five people have received basic tour guide training to facilitate this vision and over the next months you will see other arrangements within local business premises that exploits the existing culture and heritage in the village of Dervock and surrounding environs to increase footfall that will benefit the local economy?”