ISSN 2009-2237
This entry is part 33 of 33 in the Issue 11
Carrickfergus Town Hall
Friday 28 October 2011
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has combined with the Castle Studies Group and Carrickfergus Borough Council to organise a conference about Carrickfergus Castle. It was first built at the end of the 12th century (probably started in 1177-9) and was continuously occupied from then until 1927 when the army handed it over to the Northern Ireland Government as an Ancient Monument. It was built on a rocky promontory projecting into the sea with three wards; the inner one is dominated by a Great Tower; the outer by the double-towered gatehouse.
The castle is in need of a full review of the state of its research, conservation and presentation. The aim of the conference is to inform the local community and the wider academic one of the plans for this, concentrating on the Great Tower, which needs urgent physical conservation.
Papers are intended to cover the wider context of the castle and the Great Tower, the evidence for its development and ideas for conservation.
There are specialist workshops in the Great Tower for the Castle Study Group on the Saturday morning following the conference. As space is very limited, these are by invitation only.
Location: Carrickfergus Town Hall - The Jubilee Hall
09:00 Registration & Reception
09:40 Welcome Address to Conference by Mayor Alderman Jim McClurg
09:50 Terence Reeves-Smyth (NIEA) - Lecture ‘Carrickfergus Great Tower and its Roof - Problems and Opportunities’
10:30 Pamela Marshall ‘Great Towers in Context’
11:10 Tea & Coffee
11:40 John Goodall (Country Life) - ‘Evidence and Preconception: Restoring and Presenting Great Towers’
12:20 Kathryn Roberts ‘Castle Conservation in Practice – Cheptow and Harlech’
13:00 Lunch (a light lunch is provided)
14:00 Con Manning (Dept. Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht) - ‘The Great Tower in Ireland’
14:40 Dermot MacRandal (NIEA) - ‘Practicalities of Creating Replica Historic Roofs’
15:20 Tea & Coffee
15:50 Tom NcNeill - ‘Carrickfergus Castle. The Evidence and A Way Forward’
16:30 -17.30 Discussion
