Release of previously unseen vintage aerial photographs of Ulster

Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1947. Oblique aerial photograph taken facing East.

Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1947. Oblique aerial photograph taken facing East.

History Hub Ulster welcomes the release of previously unseen vintage aerial photographs of Ulster by the Britain From Above website.

The site has recently published many unseen vintage aerial photographs of Ulster covering the 1920’s through to the 1950’s.

Within the archive are aerial photographs of the Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Cavan , Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Lisburn, Larne, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh and Strabane areas.

The photographs will interest everyone from local historians, railway enthusiasts and heritage fans to name a few.

Britain from Above is a four year project aimed at conserving 95,000 of the oldest and most valuable photographs in the Aerofilms collection, those dating from 1919 to 1953.  Once conserved, they are scanned into digital format and made available on this website for the public to see. This project has been made possible due to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and support from The Foyle Foundation and other donors. The website launched with the first 10,000 images and as we currently have little information about the details in the images, the website provides the opportunity to share and record your memories and knowledge about the places shown in the collection.

Britain From Above website http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/ 

Gavin Bamford and Catherine Burrell, History Hub Ulster members

 

RSPBANI Music and Songs of the Trenches Concert

Tunes and Songs of the Trenches RSPBANI Music and Songs of the Trenches Concert to Commemorate First World War

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, Northern Ireland Branch (RSPBANI) has come together with Cookstown District Council to present a Music and Songs of the Trenches concert on Friday 24th October 2014 in the prestigious Burnavon Theatre, Cookstown to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

Two-and-a-half thousand pipers served in the Great War; men from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  Over five hundred of these men never returned home.    Two pipers were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery and many other medals were presented to these courageous men.  The RSPBANI are proud to commemorate the lives of all those who lived, fought and died in the Great War through the music, tunes and songs of the period.

The programme will feature tunes composed by some of the greatest pipers of 1914 – 1918 including William Ross, William Lawrie and George Stewart McLennan performed by P.M. Ian Burrows and Pipers from Ballybriest, Cloughfin, Matt Boyd and Tullylagan Pipe bands as well as celebrated Uilleann Piper Chris McMullan.

There is great variety in the programme with the songs from the First World War sung by well-known baritone Karl McGuckin, the Willie Drennan Folk Band performing excerpts from their Somme CD  and the local Tamlaghmore Silver Band leading a sing-along as well as playing tunes from the period.

Tickets are on sale priced at £10 seat and are available from Burnavon Theatre Box Office: Tel 028 8676 9949 or http://www.burnavon.com/theatre/whats-on/Music-and-Songs-of-the-Trenches/info