Wednesday 25 September 2013



 
 
~ Telling Ballintoy’s Hidden History ~

Ballintoy Archaeological and Historical Society has uncovered many exciting stories about Templastragh Church, Ballintoy Castle and White Park School during the course of Ballintoy’s Hidden History project. We wanted to give  local people the opportunity to hear these stories, so we decided to hold free guided tours of the sites.

We invited local people to join us on the tours, which departed from St Joseph’s Hall, Ballintoy, at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm on Saturday 7 September 2013. We were delighted with the response we received and were particularly pleased that people, including some children, who had not previously participated in our project decided to come on a tour. We are always delighted to welcome new people!

Given the considerable distance between the sites, participants on the tour were transported by minibus. The tours were led by Miriam Thompson and Robert Corbett, ably assisted by John Thompson, all of whom are members of our Society. At each site, the tour guides outlined what we have discovered about the history and archaeology of the area during the course of our research.  Everyone present was impressed with the amount of archaeological information and local stories we have unearthed. At the end of each tour, we all enjoyed a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit in Joseph’s Hall. This gave us the opportunity to continue our conversations about various aspects of our local heritage and collect more stories that are in danger of being forgotten.
Setting off on a tour of Ballintoy's Hidden History

Despite the wet and windy conditions that prevailed for most of the day, the tours proved to be a very popular, worthwhile and enjoyable.  You never know, we might even do something similar next year!
A tour party at Templastragh Church
 At the moment the Society is busy preparing a website and an exhibition which they will launch at an event to celebrate our local history and the end (of this stage) of our project on Thursday 24 October 2013 at St Joseph’s Hall, Ballintoy.

We’ll keep you posted!