Most motor racing statues are located at race tracks, but the International Ulster Trophy Race Memorial in Ballyrobert, near Belfast International Airport, is in the centre of the village, although it had been a race track once upon a time. Back in 1946, the Ballyclare / Ballyrobert street circuit was used for the International Ulster…
The ever popular FF1600, the Formula Ford series, made its way over the Irish Sea this weekend to the splendidly picturesque Kirkistown on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, with the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland, for the BRSCC FF1600 Kirkistown 2017. Northern Ireland is much better known for its motorbike road racing, with…
The BRSCC FF1600 Formula Ford event on the Ards Peninsula this weekend saw the Libre saloons Kirkistown visit 2017, with a series of predominantly Northern Irish saloon racers competing at the county Down circuit over the course of the weekend. The field is made up mainly of BMWs, with Seats and Hondas also in the mix.…
I was in Northern Ireland recently visiting friends & family, and I took a trip to Gleno Waterfall. The National Trust property is one that I visit relatively regularly when I’m in the area, not just because it is a rather pretty view, but also because it is very near where I grew up, and…
I wrote recently about Carrickfergus Castle, and how easy it was to find in the centre of the town. Nearby and a short stroll along the Marine Highway, the road that runs along beside the sea, is Marine Gardens, home to the Carrickfergus Cenotaph. Whilst the cenotaph has been easy to spot for quite some…
My recent trip to Northern Ireland, like many of mine, included a trip to Carrickfergus, where any visitors cannot fail to notice Carrickfergus Castle sitting by the sea, dominating the town as it has done since its build in 1177. The castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177, who used it as his…
I was in Northern Ireland recently and took a trip to North Down, and after a pleasant lunch in the lovely seaside town of Bangor and a stroll along the marina, headed to nearby Newtownards. Anyone in the area will see one particular landmark rising up over the very scenic views; that of Scrabo Tower.…
The Giant’s Causeway is one of the most famous natural landmarks in Northern Ireland, with the hexagonal basalt columns looking curiously man made, and giving rise to the legend that provides the name of the rock formation. The story goes that Finn MacCool, a local giant, built the causeway to meet Benandonner, a giant in…
The Dark Hedges is the local name given to part of Bregagh Road not far from Ballymoney in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The road has a series of beech trees that were planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century to impress visitors to their home at Gracehill House. The coach house and stable…
I have mentioned before that I grew up in the Northern Irish seaside town of Larne, so when I saw that BBC NI were showing a programme called “I Love Larne” on Monday evening, I was keen to see how they would promote my home town. However, it is fair to say that many of…
I found myself in Carnlough, a village on the pretty County Antrim coast recently, on the famously scenic Antrim Coast Road. I do find it odd, though, that the area’s use as a location for parts of Game of Thrones seems to have done more for tourism there than so many of the previous attempts…
I have mentioned before that I grew up in the town of Larne in Northern Ireland, and that this is a ferry port, with me being mistaken for taking part in an air sea rescue there, as well as pointing out the rather noticeable landmark of Chaine Memorial Tower, which is very visible to those…