Carnfunnock Country Park is a 191-hectare park located between Drains Bay and Ballygally, near Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the A2 Antrim Coast Road, 3.5 miles north of Larne. The park consists of mixed woodland, gardens, walking trails and coastline with views of the Antrim Coast and North Channel. [1] and is owned and run by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
The walled garden with its sundials and wooden sculptures is open all year round along with a maritime themed outdoor adventure playground, golf driving range and academy, way-marked walks, orienteering course, geocaching, wildlife garden, public toilets and picnic sites. The Cafe also operates at weekends throughout the year and there is a Parkrun every Saturday morning (subject to ground conditions). 1st Carnfunnock Scouts, which belongs to The Scout Association, was formed in October 2015 and meets regularly throughout the year. [2]
In 2010 the park was approved as a venue for civil marriage ceremonies and the first exchange of vows took place in August 2010. [3]
In 2014, Outdoor Recreation NI produced a report called 'Options to enhance access with the creation of a natural heritage trail between Ballygally Village and Carnfunnock Country Park' highlighting the parks close links to Ballygally. [4]
The maze is based on the winning idea from a 1985 Design a Maze competition: a hedge maze in the shape of Northern Ireland. It has seven central spaces, one for each county and one for Lough Neagh. The maze was planted out in 1986 with over 1,500 mature hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus).
The presence of antiquities such as shell middens and Droagh motte show that there has been human habitation within this area going back hundreds of years.
However it was not until 1823 that the Agnew family obtained the lease to this fertile land from the Marquess of Donegall and began farming in the area. The construction of the Coast Road (1832–1842) allowed two gentleman's residences to be built. One house was called 'Cairncastle Lodge' (now known as Carnfunnock) and the other was named 'Seaview' (now known as Cairndhu).
By 1865 Mr. James Agnew had fallen into financial difficulties and sold Cairncastle Lodge to the Chaine family. The Chaines lived here for over 70 years and were successful linen manufacturers who were responsible for the development of Larne Harbour.
In 1878 'Seaview' was sold to Mr. Stewart-Clark, a wealthy Scottish textile industrialist, who had married a local girl, Miss Annie Smiley and required an Irish residence. The Stewart-Clarks lived both here and in Scotland. Their daughter, Miss Edith Clark married Sir Thomas Dixon in 1906 and the Dixon family took ownership of Seaview in 1918.
When Cairncastle Lodge's last owner, Mr. William Chaine, died in 1937 leaving no children, the land was sold and merged with Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon's property. By that time Cairncastle Lodge was in poor condition and had to be demolished. The land was separated again in 1947 when the Dixon family generously donated Cairndhu to the Ministry of Health and Local Government. It opened as a hospital in 1950 and provided care for nearly 35 years. It is now in private ownership with a planning application submitted to turn the property into private accommodation.
At the same time, the Dixons held onto the Carnfunnock land and built a chalet bungalow where Cairncastle Lodge once stood. This gave them somewhere to stay whenever they visited the area. In 1957 Larne Borough Council purchased the 152 hectares of Carnfunnock land from Lady Dixon. This included the walled garden, chalet (which subsequently became the Larne Lions Club Holiday Home and was demolished in May 2015) and original estate features including the ice house and lime kilns.
Over the years the former Council (Larne Borough Council) developed this land with unique attractions, thanks to the assistance of various funding bodies and it was officially opened as a country park by the Duchess of Kent in July 1990.
For a full comprehensive history of both the Cairncastle Lodge and Cairndhu estates, including their associated owners a history guide can be downloaded from the Carnfunnock website. Copies are also available from Larne Visitor Information Centre, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Larne Museum and Arts Centre and Carnfunnock Country Park Visitor Centre.
Larne is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,853 at the 2021 census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Together with parts of the neighbouring districts of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Causeway Coast and Glens, it forms the East Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly. The civil parish is in the historic barony of Glenarm Upper.
Newtownabbey is a large settlement north of Belfast city centre in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course, but it still forms part of the Belfast metropolitan area. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of several small villages including Whiteabbey, Glengormley and Carnmoney. At the 2011 census, Metropolitan Newtownabbey Settlement had a population of 65,646, making it the third largest settlement in Northern Ireland. It is part of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council in May 2015 under the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland to become Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Greenisland is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 7 miles north-east of Belfast and 3 miles south-west of Carrickfergus. The town is on the coast of Belfast Lough and is named after a tiny islet to the west, the Green Island.
Whitehead is a large seaside village on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parish of Templecorran, the historic barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Before the Plantation of Ulster its name was recorded as both Whitehead and Kinbaine.
Olderfleet Castle is a four-storey towerhouse, the remains of which stand on Curran Point to the south of Larne Harbour in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The place name of Olderfleet may be a corruption of Ulfrecksfiord, the Viking name for Larne Lough.
Ballygally or Ballygalley is a village and holiday resort in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately 3 miles north of Larne. It is also a townland of 769 acres and is situated in the civil parish of Carncastle and the historic barony of Glenarm Upper. It had a population of 821 in the 2011 Census. It is located within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.
Carincastle or Cairncastle is a small village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland near the town of Larne and inland from the village of Ballygally. It had a population of 66 people in the 2001 Census. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.
Glynn is a small village and civil parish in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies a short distance south of Larne, on the shore of Larne Lough. As of the 2011 census, the Glynn ward had a population of 2,027 people.
Ballycraigy is a townland and housing estate in Antrim town, Northern Ireland. According to the census for Ballycraigy ward the estate has approximately 865 residents.
Ballygally Castle is in the village of Ballygally, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located approximately 3 miles north of Larne. The castle overlooks the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay. Now run as a hotel, it is the only 17th century building still used as a residence in Northern Ireland, and is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in all of Ulster.
Carnlough is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Mid and East Antrim district, as well the historic barony of Glenarm Lower, and the civil parishes of Ardclinis and Tickmacrevan. It had a population of 1,512 people at the 2011 Census.
Glenoe or Gleno is a hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is halfway between Larne and Carrickfergus. In the 2001 Census, it had a population of 87 people. Glenoe is in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.
Mullaghboy is a small village and townland on Islandmagee in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower. It is within the Larne Borough Council area. It had a population of 364 people in the 2011 Census..
Sir Thomas James Dixon, 2nd Baronet, PC (NI), was a Northern Ireland politician.
John Turnley was an Irish politician and activist. Originally from a unionist background, he was gradually drawn to Irish nationalism and became a republican activist. He was assassinated in 1980 by loyalists in Carnlough, County Antrim.
Antrim and Newtownabbey is a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the Borough of Antrim with the Borough of Newtownabbey. The local authority is Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Drains Bay is a small residential and commuter settlement about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Larne and south of Ballygalley on the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Kilwaughter is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, near the town of Larne. It is in an electoral ward situated within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. Kilwaughter is a rural village or Hamlet.
Larne Town Hall is a municipal structure in Upper Cross Street in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Larne Borough Council, is a Grade B+ listed building.
