Home

Church of Ireland Home

Diocesan News

Booklet celebrates 300th anniversary in Ballymena

The Parish of Kilconriola and Ballyclug, Ballymena, marks its 300th anniversary this year and the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has officially launched a special commemorative booklet to mark the tercentenary.

Councillor Peter Johnston was joined for the launch by the rector, the Rev Canon Mark McConnell; curate, the Rev Emma Carson; and members of the congregation who produced the booklet with council’s support.

Pictured in front of Old Tower, site of the original church, are, from left: The Rev Emma Carson, curate; Roy Smith, a direct descendant of the Adair family; Cllr Peter Johnston, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; James Perry MBE; Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim; and the Rev Canon Mark McConnell. Photo: Loraine Watt.
Pictured in front of Old Tower, site of the original church, are, from left: The Rev Emma Carson, curate; Roy Smith, a direct descendant of the Adair family; Cllr Peter Johnston, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; James Perry MBE; Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim; and the Rev Canon Mark McConnell. Photo: Loraine Watt.

The Mayor said: “We are delighted to mark this significant milestone with St Patrick’s Church of Ireland in Ballymena. The present church and its predecessor church, now known as the Old Church Yard off Church Street in Ballymena centre, are woven into the fabric of the history of the town, being two of Ballymena’s well known Seven Towers.

“Given the difficulties of the last year, Council also recognises the valuable role that our local churches play in their congregation’s wellbeing but also wider community life.”

Mark said that the tercentenary brochure had been made possible by the support of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, and the parish was very grateful.

“This brochure is an excellent resource and I hope many people will take the time to enjoy it and visit us at St Patrick’s after our planned renovation works are complete,” Mark said.

The attractively produced brochure provides a brief history of St Patrick’s Church and the wider parish, including referencing the Old Church Yard site where the predecessor St Patrick’s Parish Church served generations of families after being consecrated in 1721.

The present St Patrick’s Church on Castle Street welcomes people today. It was constructed after fundraising, generously supported by the local landowner Adair family in the 1850s.

The booklet also includes a visitor guide to enable visitors to appreciate the church building and fine interior.

Our use of cookies

Some cookies are necessary for us to manage how our website behaves while other optional, or non-necessary, cookies help us to analyse website usage. You can Accept All or Reject All optional cookies or control individual cookie types below.

You can read more in our Cookie Notice

Functional

These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytics cookies

Analytical cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.