Holy Trinity Church, The Diamond, Ballycastle - Parish Meeting

Trinity Cottage
Wednesday 26th August 7-8pm

A parish meeting has been called at very short notice to discuss proposed plans for the future of Ramoan Parish, in particular new buildings around the present Holy Trinity Church at the Diamond.

Click images to enlarge

This church is a focal point for visitors and locals approaching the Diamond from Castle Street. The proposed new hall is likely to cause consternation for those who are keen to protect the town's architectural heritage; it's design may also be in breach of the tight planning regulations for this conservation zone.

I'm told that the image which appeared in the local press isn't an artist's impression; it's taken from the architectural drawings which were submitted with the plans.

Adds August 28

Rev Palmer: "I realize that change is difficult for us and this is the beginning of major change in our parish. The simple fact is, however, that we cannot afford to run two churches in the same parish and we have reluctantly realised that the the new development will use the majority of the money raised from the sale of glebe land"

Do these words signal the death-knell for Ramoan Parish Church and for the Quay Road Hall, a building that has been part of the social fabric of Ballycastle and district for several generations?

This year there was no room at the inn for a cup of tea and a chat with old friends and the grand plan would seem to leave little room for an important part of Ballycastle's heritage.

It would appear that NALIL blog has attracted a new audience in recent days. Overheard at the recent parish meeting: "What's this NALIL thing?"; "Who's been writing all these letters in the paper?" There have also been queries to NALIL blog from the mainstream media.

[Click on] Some Quotes and Queries

Andy McInroy at the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine

Andy's website

There'll be some red faces in Moyle tonight

News has just reached me that the Etoile, one of the sailing ships in the Tall Ships Challenge, has run aground on a sandbar in the entrance to Ballycastle Harbour.

Who was the 'star' pilot who was guiding the vessel into the harbour?

Did someone forget to do a little dredging?

Was the Harbour Master there to throw them the end of his 'galluses'?

Does the MDC Harbour Authority deploy sufficient expertise?

I'm told by an eye-witness that the excitement happened around 7 pm and that the Etoile was eased from the sand after a few 5-10 minutes - but not before she was caught on candid camera.

She was keeled over just before she swung around, a bit faster ... eye witness

What an embarrassment for the local council after these fine craft had successfully overcome the challenges that the mighty Atlantic could throw at them.

The escapade reminded me of the late Sean Armstrong, sometime President of Queen's University Belfast Glee Club in the 1960s, and his stirring rendition of The Good Ship Calibar before a motley crew of students.

Adds Monday, August 10

It's been a most curious welcome for some of those crews that participated in the Tall Ships Challenge. I'm told that the welcome was not briefly discussed at a council meeting,

The Clerk stated that officers were seeking approval for arrangements to be put in place to facilitate a visit from a tall ship in Ballycastle.

After discussion, it was agreed that Ballycastle would like to host a tall ship for one or two nights prior to the planned event from 13th – 16th August. It was also agreed that a reception would be held for the crew and organisers and that excursions would be organised for the crew to see the area. - MDC minutes 6 April 2009.

that councillors had less than 24 hours notice of today's reception in the Mayor's Parlour and, apparently, not even an invitation to participate in a tour of the sailing ships with some senior council officials. The welcome banner above was hung on railings at the junction of Quay Road and Rathlin Road.

Following the reception the fifty or so strong party was taken to the Giant's Causeway, dropped off and picked up later. Perhaps with a little forward planning some multi-lingual folks from the Kingdom of Moyle could have offered linguistic hospitality to its international guests.

I can find no mention of this prestigious event - the Tall Ships Challenge - on the Moyle Council website.

Presumably our public representatives will be asking serious questions about the whole affair. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been looking at marine stories on NALIL blog for quite some time now but has proved to be something of a toothless tiger when it comes to representing the public interest.

Epic Landscapes, Fish and Chips and Sheep

Two Tall Ships crew members attacked in Ballycastle

Kevin McAuley's photos of the Tall Ships Europa and Etoile in Ballycastle Bay

Click on images to enlarge