Carrickfergus (Irish: Carraig Fhearghais, 'Rock of Fergus') is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 27,201 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre for Carrickfergus Borough Council. It is Northern Ireland’s oldest town and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king of Dál Riata.

Carrickfergus stands on the north shore of Belfast Lough and is home to the 12th century Carrickfergus Castle, one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland. It was built around 1180 by John de Courcy. The church of St Nicholas also dates from the late 12th century.

The town was formerly an important centre for the textile industry. It now is a centre for leisure sailing, and is home to Carrickfergus Marina and Carrickfergus Sailing Club. The town is inside the Greater Belfast conurbation, being 18.3 kilometres (11.4 miles) from Belfast City Centre.

As an urban settlement, Carrickfergus predates Belfast and was for a lengthy period both larger and more prominent than the nearby city. Belfast Lough itself was called 'Carrickfergus Bay' well into the 17th century. Carrickfergus and the surrounding area was, for a time, treated as a separate county. Today, the town is part of County Antrim. In 1637 the town sold its customs rights - which ran from Groomsport in County Down up to Larne in County Antrim - to Belfast and this in part lead to its decline in importance as the province of Ulster grew.

Contents 1 People 2 Education 3 Sport 4 2001 Census 5 Town twinning 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] People

• Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, was born in 1767 in the predominantly Ulster-Scots Waxshaws area of South Carolina two years after his parents left Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus. A heritage centre in the village pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the People's President.
• William Orr, United Irish martyr was hanged in Carrickfergus on October 14 1797
• Louis MacNeice's family moved to the town when the poet was two years old (his father was appointed vicar of St Nicholas), and he left at the age of ten to attend boarding school in England. One of MacNeice's most well-known poems, Carrickfergus (1937), relates his ambiguous feelings about the town where he spent his early boyhood.
• Neighbours actress Jackie Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus in 1957.
• Robert Adrain, (1775-1843), mathematician, considered one of the best mathematical minds of his time, was born in Carrickfergus<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"> (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who.</ref>
• Stuart Robinson host of Northern Ireland's Young Star Search lived in Victoria in Carrickfergus during the 1980s and is also a presenter on Belfast CityBeat. In recent years he has also acquired ownership of Carrick radio station Castle FM and Bangor FM in North Down.
• Citybeat 96.7FM Radio Star Andy Pugh hails from Carrickfergus
• Current WWE wrestler Dave Finlay was born and raised in Carrickfergus

[edit] Education

There are many primary and secondary schools in Carrickfergus.

• Acorn Primary School
• Carrickfergus Grammar School
• Carrickfergus College
• Downshire School
• Eden Primary School
• Oakfield Primary School
• Ulidia Integrated College
• Victoria Primary School
• Woodburn Primary School
• Woodlawn Primary School
• Sunnylands Primary School

[edit] Sport

• Carrickfergus Rugby Football Club
• Carrick Rangers
• Carrickfergus Sailing Club
• Carrickfergus Golf Club

[edit] 2001 Census

Carrickfergus is classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a Large Town (ie population between 18,000 and 75,000 people) and within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 27,201 people living in Carrickfergus. Of these:

• 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 15.9% were aged 60 and over
• 48.6% of the population were male and 51.4% were female
• 7.8% were from a Catholic background (The lowest of any large town in Northern Ireland) and 86.1% were from a Protestant background
• 3.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

[edit] Town twinning

• Image:Flag of the United States.svg Portsmouth, New Hampshire

[edit] References

• <references/>
• Culture Northern Ireland

[edit] See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of Irish Towns with a Market House
• Carrickfergus (the song)

[edit] External links

• NIDJ Entertainment Site, Started In Carrickfergus
• Castle FM Carrick's Radio Station
• Words and music to the folk song "Carrickfergus"
• Carrickfergus Borough Council
• St. Nicholas Church, Carrickfergus
• Louis MacNeice talks about Carrickfergus (BBC website, RealAudio file)
• Carrickfergus Castle
• Carrickfergus Market House

Major towns in Northern Ireland

Antrim | Ballymena | Banbridge | Bangor | Carrickfergus | Coleraine | Cookstown | Craigavon | Dundonald | Enniskillen | Holywood | Larne | Limavady | Newtownabbey | Newtownards | Omagh | Portadown | Strabane

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