Town buoyed by royal accolade

THE borough’s links to the royal family have been given a major boost this week with the announcement that Prince William has become the Baron of Carrickfergus, reviving a title that has been extinct for almost 130 years.

As the eyes of the world turned to Westminister Abbey on Friday for the royal nuptuals, local residents were left stunned and thrilled in equal measure by the news that the Queen had bestowed the peerage on William as a personal gift on his wedding day. The Prince, second in line to the throne, also become the Duke of Cambridge and the Earl of Stratearn, and the titles also apply to his new wife, Kate Middleton.

To mark the historic announcement and signal the town’s new status, the Union Jack was raised at Carrick Castle before the wedding got underway, and the borough flag was also flown at the Town Hall.

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And Carrick, already famed for welcoming King William of Orange to Ireland over three hundred years ago, can now look forward to the prospect of another royal visit in the near future.

Reflecting on the unexpected news, Mayor Jim Clurg said he was “delighted” for the people of the borough and described the royal accolade as a “tremendous honour” for Carrick.

Town Clerk Alan Cardwell added that the announcement was “a complete bolt out of the blue”.

“We had absolutely no warning, so it came as a big - but very welcome - surprise to everyone. This is sure to boost morale and pride in the borough, and could also important in terms of tourism,” he said.

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East Antrim Assembly contenders also expressed their joy at the announcement.

DUP candidate Sammy Wilson said: “I am delighted by the news that our future King and Queen have been given the titles Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus. I am sure that everyone in East Antrim will be pleased that this title has been conferred upon them and will be glad that the Royal couple now have this connection to the town and our constituency. We do hope that they will visit us here soon so that they can see for themselves the beauty of our area we will all look forward to a visit by the young couple.”

Freeman of the Borough Charlie Johnston said it was a further fillip for those who had joined in the celebrations locally.

“How delighted I was like so many other residents of the Borough to hear that the Queen had given the title of Baron of Carrickfergus to Prince William. It certainly added to the celebrations. Can I thank all the residents’ groups and others who organised street parties, certainly the weather helped.

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“ A special thanks to the friends of the 36th Ulster Division who organised the tea dance in the Town Hall in the afternoon and then another dance that night. I look forward to the visit of the Baron and Baroness to Carrickfergus.”

The Barony of Carrickfergus only existed as a title between 1841 and 1883. The third Marquess of Donegall was created Baron Ennishowen and Carrickfergus, of Ennishowen, Co Donegal and Carrickfergus, Co Antrim. He died in 1883 - being succeeded by his brother - and the Barony became extinct.

Meanwhile, a local artist has been fast on the draw with a portrait of how a royal visit to the town might be captured.

Rosetta Jallow, who is behind the acclaimed Faces of Africa portraits exhibition, explained: “Upon hearing that the Prince William had been given the title of Baron of Carrickfergus, I offered Buckingham Palace to paint a portrait of the royal couple to commemorate this event and title, which Carrickfergus has got to be proud of. I did a quick study of the proposed artwork and sent this to the Palace office for approval.”