Centenary celebration success for Mid and East Antrim

The Chair of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Northern Ireland 100 Working Group has heralded the celebrations to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland “a huge success”, with further activities anticipated before the end of 2021.

Made up of six Elected Members, Council’s Northern Ireland 100 Working Group was set up to take forward ideas and proposals to mark and celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of Northern Ireland.

Chaired by Councillor Cheryl Brownlee, the Group includes the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Councillor William McCaughey and Deputy Mayor Councillor Matthew Armstrong, together with Councillors Danny Donnelly, Gregg McKeen and Keith Turner.

Councillor Brownlee said that the Northern Ireland Centenary celebrations presented the opportunity to recognise all that has been achieved by the citizens of Mid and East Antrim over the past century.

“As well as marking the 100^thAnniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland, Council’s Centenary celebrations have provided an opportunity to shine a light on all that is good about Mid and East Antrim and all that has been achieved by its citizens over the past 100 years,” she commented. 

“To date, the celebrations have included a busy programme of events, exhibitions and community initiatives, all aimed at showcasing and championing culture, heritage, education, history, future prosperity and more.  A further range of exciting activities will be delivered throughout the remainder of this year, in line with the latest Covid-19 guidelines.

Paying tribute to the Council’s Northern Ireland 100 Working Group, Councillor Brownlee continued: “The Working Group has collaborated with Council’s Elected Members, officers and stakeholders to plan and implement a truly inclusive programme of events that delivers something for everyone in the borough, regardless of their background.

“The Centenary celebrations have been a huge success to date, and I have no doubt that the remainder of the programme of activities planned for 2021 will aptly round of what has been a tremendous year of events for the borough.”

To date, ten citizens of the borough have been provided with a unique Centenarian Memento in the form of a certificate and coin from the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim in recognition of reaching their 100^th birthday in 2021. 268 babies have been presented with a ‘2021 Baby Born’ centenary certificate and coin.