Larne Museum and Arts Centre

Larne Museum and Arts Centre stands in a red-brick building of 1905 on Larne’s coast in County Antrim. It began as the Carnegie Free Library, paid for by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1906 by Colonel James McCalmont. After the library moved to Pound Street in 1980, the old building became home to Larne Historical Centre. In 2005 the centenary brought restoration that kept original features, and the site now also hosts Larne Drama Circle and Larne Art Club.

The Main Gallery shows the area’s past through farming, industry, war and sea links. Exhibits recall the first roll-on roll-off ferries, the Royal Navy and the MV Princess Victoria disaster. A folk-life display covers Larne’s rural glens and the War and Conflict section holds items from the Home Rule Crisis, Larne Gun Running and both world wars. Oral history posts and a digital archive let visitors hear local voices and see photographs.

The John Clifford Gallery presents changing exhibitions named after the first curator. John Clifford was an actor, poet and musician who returned to Larne in 1967 to become librarian and lead the folklore society. The museum is run by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council as part of a wider heritage partnership with nearby towns.