The Old Parish Church (Church Of Ireland) was consecrated in 1721, and a tower and gallery added in 1821. It was last used for a service in 1855 when it was replaced by St Patrick’s Church (Church History Trail youtube). Since then, the Old Parish Church has lain derelict.
The wall-painting shown here is by Leanne McClelland (ig) in 2022 (Ballymena BID) in Church Street Arcade, off Church Street, Ballymena.
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“When you go home tell them of us and say, ‘For your tomorrow we gave our today’.” The Thiepval Memorial commemorates British and South African soldiers who died in the Somme valley and have no known grave. The Battle Of the Somme took place from July 1st to November 18th, 1916, but soldiers were in the area from July 1915 until the end of the war; the Germans attacked in the Somme in the spring of 1918 (Operation Michael) and a second Battle Of The Somme took place in late August, 1918, as part of the Allies’ Hundred Days Offensive.
The words are from an epitaph by John Maxwell Edwards in the Kohima War Cemetery, Nagaland, India.
Crebilly Road, Ballykeel 1, Ballymena
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On June 7th, a Ballymena teenager was allegedly assaulted by two Romanian-speaking fourteen-year-olds, who were subsequently charged with attempted rape and denied bale. Rioting in Ballymena (Reuters gallery | youtube) beginning on the 9th spread to other locales in subsequent days, including Larne where the leisure centre was set alight on the third night (Guardian | youtube). More than 100 people from Ballymena were eventually arrested (Yahoo). Convictions of rioters – which police described as “race-motivated” and “hate-fuelled” – began on August 1st (PSNI); a 21-year-old man was sentenced to two years in jail earlier this month (Belfast Live). Two-thirds of the Roma population have left the town (Guardian).
These flyers are stuck onto a bus shelter on Crebilly Road, Ballymena. “We are not racist; we are concerned parents”, “Two-tier policing”, “Stop illegal and unvetted immigration”, “Stop mass migration”, “Keep our kids safe”.
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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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This entry updates 2023’s Harryville Says No with images of two additional boards/plaques erected by the 12th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles Memorial Association (Fb), “in honour of the men from Harryville [Ballymena] who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle Of The Somme from 1st July to 18th November 1916”.
“Remembering 57386 Sergeant John McNabney, formerly of No 9 Larne Street, 36th Divisional signal company, awarded the distinguished conduct medal, military medal with bar, and mentioned in despatches.” McNabney’s career and many decorations are described in Ballymena Guardian | Your Lurgan.
Larne Street and Waring Street, Ballymena
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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Art on the shutters of Carbon Muse (ig) in Wellington Street, Ballymena
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Street art by emic (web) and Alana Barton (web) in Pat’s Brae, Ballymena
The pair also collaborated on a piece that they called Ida in Carrickfergus.
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“Talk mental health” Mental-health board from Turning Point NI (web) in Mill Street, Ballymena, with the number for Lifeline.
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Commercial art on the shutters of Flowerworks in Mill Street, Ballymena
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The official title of this piece is ‘The Estate With Love In It’ (Love Ballymena) but the figure at the centre of it appears to be heading toward some faraway land. Nonetheless, efforts are being made by the proud residents (Fb group) to improve the estate, compared to conditions a decade ago – see the short film from 2013 at Poverty & Social Exclusion.
The work is by Carly Wright (web) and Sam McAleese – who also did Beacon Of Hope in the town’s Ballykeel estate, and a piece in Belfast for HTN 2023 – in September 2023, with support from the Doury Road Development Group (Fb) and the Housing Executive.
Alexandra Park, Ballymena
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The Flamingo Ballroom was open from 1960 to 1980 and the building was demolished in 2017 (BBC | BelTel) but it is fondly remembered by fans who got to see some of the biggest names in rock and pop, including the Rolling Stones, Chubby Checker, the Everly Brothers, Thin Lizzie, Rory Gallagher, and Pink Floyd, as well as Irish showbands (here is the bill from September 1961).
Here is an image of a sax player with local band the Cossacks with the tall flamingo inside the club – and this provides the inspiration for this street art by Woskerski (web).
Greenvale Street, Ballymena. (The face in the window in the image above belongs to the Goose Herder opposite.)
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Paddy Duffy Collection 