Ballymoney R1

RASHARKIN NATIONAL SCHOOL 3137
Rasharkin National school pupils with their Headmaster and Teacher around 1910 - 1912
The following memories are by James Stewart.
The leftmost girl in the back, next to the teacher is my Aunt Mary Ann. About the end of WW 2 she married Jas. McKeown, who owned a terrace house at (if I remember right) 23 Castle St., Antrim. From about 1946 I would go by train once or twice a year from Monkstown Halt to Antrim and stay with them for a week or ten days at a time. The house was the usual "kitchen house" with a kitchen cum sitting room on the ground floor and a cold water scullery behind, plus two tiny bedrooms upstairs. But unlike the adjoining houses it had a large third bedroom, located over an entry-way to the Massareene Estate. Mr. McKeown had a key to the entry door and I believe on very rare occasions would open the big door for Estate people.As a lad, I had free access to the entire estate and wandered without let or hindrance. I never saw a soul there. I would visit the pets' graveyard near the ornamental ponds, climb the spiral path to the top of the mound (only in recent years did I learn that this was a Norman motte and Bailey construction) and ponder the burnt out shell of the "Castle." Please note: two of the boys in the front row are barefooted.

BALLYMONEY RAILWAY STATION 4286
It looks like it has been raining here in 1950 at Ballymoney Railway Station where the narrow gauge train ( nickname "Buffing Billy") from Ballycastle has stopped and passengers
heading home or to work. The tall chimney that is smoking is the Nestles factory, over to the left is Henry Street and the white two storey house top left was
Bessie Morrison's house she was a music teacher. Sadly within months the railway line would be closed forever by the government.

NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY 3137
What a great photograph showing the main railway line and the narrow gauge railway line.
The engine is coming from Ballycastle and is approaching Ballymoney Station in the distance having just to go under Cow bridge.
Can anyone tell me why the bridge is called 'Cow Bridge'?

REDPATH 4289
We are on Church Street Ballymoney outside at No.7 which is William Redpath's shop and tells us he was a Pharmaceutical Chemist. The advertisement on the left window tell
us that the shop stocks Kodak and Solio photographic paper for developing photographs. I would say that the shop also developed and printed photos for customers.
Now William was not only a Chemist as his shop windows tell us. He sold Wine, Cheese, - - - - - - - -Jewelry, tablecloths, Napkins, Hankercheifs, China, Lavender bags and "Crown" Sweet Pea. - -Could that be William Redpath on the right? I don't know or the chap on the left.

ROBINSON HOSPITAL 4290
The Robinson Memorial Hospital at 23 Newal road Ballymoney was opened in 1933 as a gift from Samuel Robinson of Philadelphia to the people of Ballymoney and district in
memory of his parents Samuel and Margaret Megaw Robinson of Culcrum, Cloughmills. In 1948 the hospital was integrated into the National Health and Social Services trus.t
But for the people of Ballymoney it was a huge event as you can see by the crowds in the photograph.

NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY 4287
Here on the narrow gauge railway that ran between Ballymoney and Ballycastle we have in March 1947 P.O.W's guarded by policemen going to work.
Two policemen are on the train and one took the photo, you can see his shadow in the photo. In March 1947 there were 170.000 P.O.W's working in agriculture, helping farmers bring in the harvest. It must have been cold for there is still snow on the ground. Now you might be wondering why we still have P.O.W's nearly 2 years after the war has ended, well here's why.
International Law stipulated the P.O.W's should be repatriated after a peace treaty was signed, but with Germany occupied, a peace treaty was a remote possibility.

ROTARY CLUB 4293
Having their photo graph taken are some of the members of the Rotary Club of Ballymoney at their Charter Dinner on the 12 th November 1965.
Back Row: Tom McElderry, Unknown, Unknown, Donald Dixon, David Morrison and John McElderry.
Front Row: Jack Pinkerton, Unknown, Unknown and Unknown.-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ROSEYARD LADIES 4292
Here at the Ballymoney Show sometime in the 1980's we have these ladies from Roseyard Presbyterian Church washing and drying the dishes, why is it always the ladies washing up?
Anyway from the left we have Mrs Annie McIlreavy, Mrs Anna McAllister, Mrs Dorothy Clyde, Mrs Rene McKennon and Mrs Marty Henry.

RAILWAY SIGNAL BOX 4294
This dear old Signal box has been destroyed just because it was no longer of any use, sad isint it. Instead of removing it and rebuilding it where people could see how it worked.
When it was in operation it worked the singals from Ballymoney Railway Station to the same distance from the Signal box in the other direction, it was built high so the signal man
could see that distance and make sure the signals were correct.