Ballymena, Co Antrim, Ulster Genealogy

29/09/2025

The Pentagon in years gone by 1960’s

Ballymena. Co Antrim. c1960s. (AP)
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13/09/2025

📺 Abandoned Ulster
Sunday 14 September | 10pm | BBC Two Northern Ireland

Discover the haunting beauty of Ulster’s forgotten buildings in a new arts documentary following acclaimed photographer Rebecca Brownlie.

With Ulster-Scots writers Darren Gibson & Anne McMaster, the film explores memory, heritage, and the stories hidden within abandoned spaces.

Produced by NPE Media for BBC Northern Ireland with support from the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.

BBC Northern Ireland

05/09/2025

Main Street. Broughshane. Co Antrim. c1925.
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04/09/2025

24/08/2025

Post your Y-DNA revealed SNP IN THE COMMENTS BELOW and I'll guide you to your position on the Y-DNA Haplogroup map of Ireland! The male population of Ireland can be divided into 11 trees which are FREE to explore online at www.origenesmaps.com Each node has a pinpointed origin which can be dated while the Haplogroup tree you find yourself on reveals when your paternal line arrived in Ireland! Not Y-DNA tested yet? drop me an email to find out where to test: tyronebowes@gmail.com

22/08/2025

I often get requests to overlay surnames from the Irish and Scottish Origenes maps on other interesting maps on the internet. This one illustrates where Ulster Scots dominates in County Down and the Plantation (post 1550AD) surnames associated with that area. Unsurprisingly they are dominated by Scottish surnames (with a sprinkling of English one's) BUT surprisingly the Scottish Gaelic Surnames of Galloway dominate (where the native language was originally Gaelic). The process whereby the Gaels of Galloway shed Gaelic for English (Ulster Scots) had already begun in Scotland, but many of the Scots that arrived in Ulster were bilingual and could understand their Irish neighbours. Is there a map out there where you'd like to see surnames overlayed? Post a link to that image in the comments!

10/08/2025

Slemish (Slieve Mish). Co Antrim. 1935. (EPC)
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24/07/2025

Flamingo Ballroom, Ballymena, Co Antrim. 1960s.
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20/07/2025

Mill Street. Ballymena, Co Antrim. Dated sometime in the early 1900’s.


Photograph copyright of the National library of Ireland.

14/07/2025

Beautiful!

Happy Everyone!🗺️

Today’s map is from the 18th century and shows the barony of Cary in Co. Antrim. This beautifully coloured map is a copy of William Petty’s Down Survey of County Antrim, created in the 1650s.

The map has some groovy details. For example, the compass and the scale book have faces, and there is a love heart under the title!🫶

PRONI ref D597/1/1

12/07/2025

Heritage Walk of Religious Sites of Cushendall Saturday 19th July. Places are Limited please book at CDG Office on 02821771378.

08/07/2025

Learn something new everyday 🤔

Alexander Carlisle, one of the men who designed the famous ship RMS Titanic, was born on this day in 1854 in Ballymena.

Aged 16, he became a premium apprentice in Harland & Wolff, which was rapidly becoming one of the world's leading shipyards. A talented individual, he had a meteoric rise within the company, being appointed chief draughtsman and in 1878 shipyard manager.

He was closely involved with the designing of all the yard's major liners and steamers right up until his retirement in 1910. In 1889 his designs for the Teutonic, a ship commissioned by the White Star line, were said to be the finest designs ever submitted to the admiralty.

Just before he retired, he worked on the blueprints of the revolutionary and huge new White Star ships, the Olympic, the Britannic, and their more famous sister the Titanic. He was also responsible for the beautiful decor of the ships.

Carlisle was linked with the Titanic in other ways, too. His sister, Margaret, married William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland & Wolff. His great-uncle was the renowned Presbyterian minister Henry Montgomery who was linked to the United Irishmen.

Carlisle had moved to London after 1910 to be close to his brothers. He knew many leading figures in European business and politics, and was friendly with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
After visiting the deposed kaiser in exile in the Netherlands, Carlisle fell ill and died in London on 5 March 1926.