Larne Museum and Arts Centre facts for kids

Larne Museum and Arts Centre is a cool local museum and arts spot in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It's a great place to learn about the history and culture of the Larne area.

A Building with History

This special building was built in 1905. It first opened its doors in 1906 as the Carnegie Free Library. This was possible thanks to money from a rich American, Mr. Andrew Carnegie. He was a philanthropist, meaning he loved to give money to good causes. The library cost £2500 to build. Colonel J M McCalmont, a Member of Parliament, officially opened it on April 2, 1906.

The library stayed in this building for many years. In July 1980, it moved to a bigger place on Pound Street. That new library cost £205,000 to build.

The Museum's Journey

The idea for a local museum came from people in Larne. They wanted a place to keep their history alive. So, in 1972, the Larne Historical Centre first opened. It was in the Reading Room of the old Carnegie Public Library. The Larne Borough Council even gave £300 to help start it.

In 1976, the Centre moved to the ground floor of Larne Town Hall. But it didn't stay there forever! In June 1983, it moved back to its original home, the old Carnegie Library building.

In 2005, the building celebrated its 100th birthday. To mark this special year, it was restored and updated. Many of its original features were kept, making it look beautiful. Today, the building is also home to the Larne Drama Circle and the Larne Art Club.

What You Can Explore

The museum's Main Gallery has many interesting things to see. It shows the history of farming, industry, military, and sea travel in the area.

Larne's Sea Stories

Larne is a main entry point into Northern Ireland. Because of this, the museum highlights its strong connections to the sea. You can see exhibits about the first "roll-on, roll-off" ferries. These were big ships that allowed cars and trucks to drive right on and off. There are also displays about the Royal Navy and the sad story of the MV Princess Victoria disaster. This was a ferry that sank in a storm.

Countryside and Conflict

Larne's countryside is also shown. This area includes two of the nine beautiful Glens of Antrim. The museum's folk life display tells stories about how people used to live.

The "War and Conflict" section has items from different times. You can learn about the Home Rule Crisis and the Larne gun-running. This was when guns were secretly brought into Larne. There are also objects from the First and Second World Wars.

Visitors can listen to local people's stories at special listening posts. You can also look through old photos in a digital archive.

The John Clifford Gallery

The "John Clifford Gallery" is a special space. It hosts different temporary exhibitions all year long. These exhibitions change often, so there's always something new to see! The centre also holds fun family events.

Who Was John Clifford?

This gallery is named after John Clifford. He was the first curator of the museum. A curator is someone who looks after a museum's collections. John was a local actor, poet, and musician.

In 1937, John left Larne to work in London. There, he became a professional actor. He returned to Larne in 1967 and soon became a librarian at the Carnegie Library. John loved local history very much. He helped start the Larne & District Folklore Society in 1968. This group helped push for a local museum. Because of his hard work, John became the first curator of the Larne Historical Centre.

How the Museum is Run

The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council manages Larne Museum and Arts Centre. It is part of the Mid-Antrim Heritage Partnership. This partnership works with other local museums in Ballymena, Carrickfergus, and Newtownabbey.