On a rather damp and dreary day in January 2018, I took myself and a friend off to the Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra, near Holywood. The living history museum tells the story of life in early 20th Century Ireland through a unique collection of every day buildings which have been… Read More »Site Visit – Ulster Folk Museum
Dissected by the M22 motorway at Randalstown, an army camp capable of housing more than 5,000 British and Irish soldiers in preparation for the trenches of France once sat, with little trace remaining today. With 65 million untrained men called up to fight in WW1, a problem arose in how… Read More »Randalstown Camp
It may sound somewhat unassuming, but Oil Berth 3, sitting at the entrance to Musgrave Channel in Belfast Port, was once at the centre of a fascinating piece of Northern Irish history. In 1969, with the escalation of the IRA campaign, the Army deployed on Operation BANNER. This surge of troops… Read More »Oil Berth 3
In July 1971 a unique unit was born into the British Army, in particular 39 Airportable Brigade under the command of Brigadier Frank Kitson (September 1970 – April 1972). Brigadier Kitson has a wealth of experience in counterinsurgency operations, and politically his appointment to 39 Bde was welcomed. Known as the… Read More »The Birth of the Military Reaction Force (MRF)
Situated approximately 1.5km East of the world famous Giants Causeway, Portmoon (Port Moon) is traditionally known for its historic Salmon fishing house. The site sits on Benbane Head in the town land of Carrowreagh. Remnants of this industry remain in the area in the form of the tin roofed fishermans… Read More »Site Visit – Portmoon Anti-Tank Range
Originally, I believed this site was an Air Traffic Control (ATC) Exchange or Repeater Station. Since then I have learned that the site was a microwave radio link connecting Northern Ireland with mainland Great Britain, via a corresponding site at Enoch Hill, near Stranraer in Scotland. I originally visited twice… Read More »Site Visit – Ballygomartin Radio Station
Acquired by Campbell College in 1925 as their preparatory school, a house at Cabin Hill dates back to 1786, although the main house standing today was built in 1860 and extended in 1902. Having seen a rich and vibrant history as a fine house and latter school, Cabin Hill now… Read More »Site Visit – Cabin Hill, Belfast
Inside the old mill (circa 1835) on the Redhall (Red Hall) estate just outside Ballycarry lie a remarkable secret from WW2. During the war, as huge swathes of American troops descended on Northern Ireland, large volumes of accommodation was taken over to accommodate the new visitors. One of these buildings… Read More »Site Visit – Redhall Mill, Ballycarry
After being built in 1845, Crumlin Road Gaol, later to be named HM Prison Crumlin Road, was operational for 151 years until its closure in 1996. Through its rich and troubled life, it saw the incarceration of many notable personalities, including some of the country’s politicians during the many years of… Read More »Site Visit – Crumlin Road Gaol
Situated in the leafy suburbs of South Belfast, Belvoir Park Hospital has lain empty since 2006 when the remaining healthcare operations moved to the City Hospital. Belvoir opened 100 years earlier in 1906 as the Purdysburn Fever Hospital and had a long and fruitful history being the site of Northern Irelands… Read More »Site Visit – Belvoir Park Hospital