A new display at Larne Library will invite visitors to take a walk down the town’s Main Street in years gone by.

The venue will host the fascinating display by the Larne branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society from September 5-17.

It will trace the town centre thoroughfare from the mid-19th century to more recent times.

Drawing on 1851, 1901 and 1911 census records, the 1861 Griffith’s Valuation and the 1949 Residence Register, it offers a glimpse into the people, homes and businesses that once made up this familiar part of the town.

Larne Main Street. Image courtesy of the Larne branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society

placeholder image — Larne Main Street. Image courtesy of the Larne branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society

The Larne branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society meets in the library on the third Thursday of every month from September to May.

Talks are free for members, with visitors asked to make a small donation.

The library display runs until September 17, coinciding with the group’s September talk on the topic ‘What did the Ulster-Scots ever do for us?’ with speaker Dayna Jost.

More information on the Larne branch is available at https://www.nifhs.org/branches/larne/

Upcoming talks on the group’s programme include Northern Ireland, Enigma and Signals Intelligence with Ron Bishop in October; Belfast Blitz Fatalities (Zoom only) with Nigel Henderson in November; Researching farming ancestors in Ulster (Zoom only) with Dr William Roulston of the Ulster Historical Foundation in January, and Pre-1800 sources for family history (Zoom only) with Valerie Adams (Presbyterian Historical Society) in February.

There’s also The Ulster Plantation and East Ulster Settlement with Dr David Hume in March, and Jobs on the Railway with Charles Friel (Railway Preservation Society) in May.