Larne

Andrew Cairns

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Andrew Cairns of the UVF was chased and beaten by about a dozen people before being killed by a single shot to the head (BBC). The killing took place next to the burning Boyne Square bonfire and the memorial (shown below) is on the other side of the bonfire site. Sutton attributes the killing to the UDA (Sutton); the Sunday Mirror reported that the killer was rejected by the UDA and was a member of the LVF (Free Library); see also BelTel | Guardian. One of the accused (Irish Times) was later UDA South East Antrim chief (BelTel).

Cairns was included in an old UVF mural, also in Wellington Green.

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Shaped By Sea And Stone

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Brussels artist iota (ig) painted a mermaid in Larne, inspired by the local myth of Lí Ban (NI World), who was caught in nets in Larne Lough and baptised by Christian monks (WP). 

With support from the Recovery Revitalisation Programme for town centres, administered here by Mid And East Antrim Borough Council (web) in consultation with Daisy Chain (tw), Seedhead Arts (ig), and FGB (ig).

See also Lí Ban in Bangor: Sea-Born.

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With Heart And Hand

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The Antiville (Larne) bonfire was toppled and set alight on Sunday night after the death of one its builders, John Steele, who fell from it at about 9:30 p.m. the previous evening (Belfast Live video | BelTel | Belfast Live). The Antiville bonfire was perhaps 50 ft in height; the nearby Craigyhill bonfire, at 202 ft, continued to stand until it was lit at midnight on Monday night.

Many floral tributes were left along the fence of the adjacent Presbyterian church, including ones from other bonfire sites (Craigyhill, Old Mossley, Doonbeg), flute bands (Anderson Memorial, Ballycraigy Sons Of Ulster, Ladyhill, Cairncastle, North Down Defenders, Tullycarnet), UVF (Rathcoole RHC), and UDA (Tullycarnet); Steele’s funeral will take place on Thursday (Irish News).

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Commonwealth Handling Equipment

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The Craigyhill (Larne) bonfire was officially measured at 202.3 feet in height, exceeding the existing Guinness World Record for tallest bonfire, a 199-ft pyre in Austria in 2019. More than 40,000 pounds was raised for the effort (Belfast Live). In preparation for lighting, houses around the green were boarded up with sheets of plywood (see below).

The red and blue pallets mostly go at the bottom because they are sturdier pallets; they are also longer lasting and more expensive to produce. The red pallets come from La Palette Rouge while the blue come from CHEP (Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool) (Belfast Media). They can be legally bought or sold only by their respective companies.

In nearby Antiville, a bonfire builder fell to his death. See With Heart And Hand.

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The Loyalist Executioner

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Here are dozen South East Antrim UDA boards along Shanlea Drive in Ballycraigy (Larne). The first four commemorate the massive bonfire built each year (see Commonwealth Handling Equipment) – “We lead, others follow”.

The middle are the most violent, showing volunteers wearing balaclavas and carrying assault rifles, with a poem about killing “Provos” which here seems to mean simply Catholics, as no IRA members were killed in either Ormeau or Greysteel. “The Provo’s fear the reaper/From the UFF he comes/The loyalist executioner/He brings judgment with his gun//He strikes when no one expects him too/From behind his hood cold eyes/The reaper brings stiff justice/As another Provo dies//He brought revenge for the Bann/ In Ormeau bookies five/And for the Shankill bombing/Greysteel was his reply//Sometimes his lust is chilling/As he goes about his task/The Provo’s fear the reaper/There’s death behind his mask.” There was a poem with the same sentiment in south Belfast (see The Reaper Come To Call) next to a mural of Eddie The Trooper.

Of the final four (the right-hand side) the historical photograph was the basis for a mural in south Belfast.

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Ad Vera Petenda

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Here are panels from the long Factory Community Forum mural along the Old Glenarm Road in Larne.

From left to right it features: Larne-born sports stars, footballer Gareth McAuley – who gained 80 caps with Northern Ireland (#GAWA)– and boxer Dave ‘Boy’ McAuley – IBF flyweight champion; scientist Albert Einstein (who does not seem to have any connection to Larne); ‘If you dream it, you can achieve it’; DJ Fergie from Larne; Peace begins with a smile (with a map of the counties of South Carolina, USA – Larne is twinned with Clover, SC); a tall ship and Chaine Memorial; the emblems of Larne High School (motto Ad Vera Petenda, which it translates as “we seek truth”) and Moyle Primary School flanking “Factory Community Forum” (Fb).

With support from the International Fund For Ireland.

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Rifleman Robert King

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The Military Medal (“MM”) “for gallantry in the field” was awarded to Rifleman Robert King of the 12th Royal Irish Rifles in the dispatches of July 12th for his actions on July 1st, the first day of the Battle Of The Somme. King was from Ronald Street in Larne (RIR 12th Fb; there is also a 12th batt RIR memorial association).

The reverse of the medal can be seen in the previous version of this mural.

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This Bare And Tortured Land

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The ‘bare and tortured land’ is Messines (now Mesen) in West Flanders, Belgium, where approximately 25,000 soldiers on both sides were killed or injured at the start of June, 1917, as Allied forces retook the ridge between Messines and Wytschaete.

The central figure is the 1922 bronze statue in Winchester, England, by John Tweed, depicting a soldier from the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, which does not appear to have fought at Messines, though both the 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish) divisions were there (WP) and this is the reason for a number of Messines murals that have been painted in recent years: see Messines 1917 and Brothers In Arms in Newtownards | Comrades In Arms in Londonderry. During the battle, Sopwith Pups (biplanes – the triplane was used by naval squadrons (Military History)) were ordered to fly low and strafe enemy targets (Key Aero | FirstWorldWar | Vintage Aviator).

The poetry – “When you and I are buried/With grasses overhead/The memory of our fights will stand/Above this bare and tortured land/We knew ere we were dead.” – appears to be original.

There is a “No ball games allowed” notice on the left-hand side.

By Dee Craig in Wellington Green, Larne

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The Dress Is Yellow And Black

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“Geraldine Connon [web] – Geraldine is a well renowned fashion designer based in Larne. She has created this piece inspired by the Games of Thrones and Larne’s Ulster Scots Heritage. Geraldine used Irish linen in the tasel [sic], mesh within the helmet, and created the neck cuff from black feathers representing a crow. Crows are iconic in the TV series. The yellow and black tartan skirt brings in the Ulster Scots element to the piece. The image was photographed by fashion photographer Mitchell Cahoon [ig].”

The official name of the outfit is “Valentine”. This is another of the Game Of Thrones-inspired pieces in Larne town centre – Lower Quay St in this case – sponsored by the Mid & East Antrim Council, with Larne Renovation Generation (Fb) and the Traders Forum (BelTel | News Desk | Fb video). See previously: Larne – The Original Tourist Resort | The Battle Of Ulfreksfjord | Dire Wolf.

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Play Spaces Should Be Safe Spaces

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“Factory Residents’ Rights – How could any play park be worse than this?” The playground in the Factory area of Larne (Ferris Park) was closed in early 2021 because the surface was deemed unsafe. The local residents held a protest in April aimed at getting the attention of Mid- & East-Antrim council (Fb) and in October the council voted to build a new park some time in 2022 or 2023 if funding is available (NI World). As of mid-February, 2022, the playground is still in disrepair but – as can be seen from these images – it is being used by children.

For the murals on the long wall in the background of the second image, see Ad Vera Petenda.

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