Articles on Local History
Con O'Neill
Con O'Neill
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  Con O’Neill, who died in 1619, was the last Gaelic Lord of Upper Clannaboy.
East Belfast Big Houses
East Belfast Big Houses
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  Aidan Campbell's new talk about big houses in East Belfast. He has produced a number of illustrated books on different aspects of the area.
Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  Laura Spence explained Burns’ popularity and character by comparing him with George Best: a handsome, exceptionally talented man from a working-class family who did not cope well with fame and publicity.
Salt, Mustard, Vinegar, Pepper
Salt, Mustard, Vinegar, Pepper
Ellen Elder  Connor Phillips on Radio Ulster was talking about inventing an adults' game park where we could go and play the games we used to take part in, in the streets of Belfast. It started me thinking about the times before TV, Internet, box sets etc.
The Partition of Ireland
The Partition of Ireland
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  Instead of talking about the events of 1920-21, Dr James Dingley took a much longer view of the factors which he considered did much to differentiate north-east Ulster from other parts of Ireland.
Bangor Courthouse: history and restoration
Bangor Courthouse: history and restoration
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  Robert Lyle and Alison Gordon from Open House gave the November talk which described the history and restoration of the 1866 Belfast Bank building, which later became Bangor Courthouse.
Samuel Davidson
Samuel Davidson
Meeting report by Sandra Millsopp  The inventor and founder of the world-famous Sirocco engineering works in Belfast was the subject of a talk delivered to the Society by Eric Woods.
Crawfordsburn Country Club remembered
Crawfordsburn Country Club remembered
Peter Croft  The Life & Times of Crawfordsburn Country Club - Peter Croft's history of the little building which provided the local community with a venue for table tennis, badminton, fancy dress dances, formal dinners with interesting speakers and had no less than three ghosts!
Anti-Slavery Meetings in Bangor in 1846 & 1851
Anti-Slavery Meetings in Bangor in 1846 & 1851
Patricia Norrington  The famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass and the African-American abolitionist Reverend Henry Highland Garnet both gave lectures in First Bangor Presbyterian Church.
Miss Eliza Johnston (c1820-1906)
Miss Eliza Johnston (c1820-1906)
Patricia Norrington  Eliza Johnston ran various hospitality establishments in Belfast and Bangor from 1866 until her death on 11 August 1906.
A Tour of Newtownards, September 2020
A Tour of Newtownards, September 2020
Patricia Norrington  Patricia went on a tour organised by Ards & North Down U3A and led by Brian McDonald, Chair of Newtownards Historical Society.
The Spanish influenza 1918-1919
The Spanish influenza 1918-1919
Patricia Norrington  Patricia Norrington looks at the effect of the three waves of the Spanish Flu epidemic in North Down.
North Down Museum's Heritage Project: the work of Bangor Heritage Group
North Down Museum's Heritage Project: the work of Bangor Heritage Group
Adrianne Brown  North Down Museum has a fascinating exhibition of panels and a film illustrating some of the rich commercial and industrial heritage of the North Down and Ards Council area.
Bangor Harbour: alive with marine wildlife
Bangor Harbour: alive with marine wildlife
Betty Armstrong  Harbours by their nature attract a myriad of marine wildlife and Bangor is no exception.
HMT Lancastria (and other connections)
HMT Lancastria (and other connections)
Andrew Jaggers  The 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Cunard liner, HMT Lancastria , reckoned to be Britain's worst ever maritime disaster, falls on the 17th June 2020.
Bangor Memories in the Northern Ireland War Memorial
Bangor Memories in the Northern Ireland War Memorial
Michael Burns (Project Co-ordinator of Oral History Projects at NIWM)  The Northern Ireland War Memorial's oral history projects seek to capture the memories and stories of those local people who fought and lived through the Second World War in Northern Ireland and include a number of stories local to Bangor.
Shipbuilding at Ballyholme
Shipbuilding at Ballyholme
Betty Armstrong  Betty looks at the history of boatbuilding ventures in Ballyholme.
Captain STS Lecky, Master Mariner, Commander RNR, FRAS, FRGS
Captain STS Lecky, Master Mariner, Commander RNR, FRAS, FRGS
Andrew Jaggers  The life and times of an Ulsterman whose name became extremely well known among seafarers, both naval and merchant, around the world.
The unlikely event
The unlikely event
Ronnie McClements  A remarkable chain of coincidences.
Bangor Christian Heritage Trail and Mobile App
Bangor Christian Heritage Trail and Mobile App
Ards and North Down Borough Council  Ards and North Down Borough Council, with support and funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, are promoting the recently established “Bangor Christian Heritage Walking Trail and Mobile App”.
9th Century Bells Exhibition
9th Century Bells Exhibition
North Down Musueum  An exhibition in North Down Museum from 20 May to 28 June is bringing together three important early Christian bells - the Bangor Bell (above), the Lough Lene Bell and the Cashel Bell - for first time since they were cast over 1,200 years ago!
What can you tell us?
What can you tell us?
Don Patterson  Can you tell us more about this mystery photograph supplied by Nick Wolsey?