Welcome!

Carnlough's reputation as a lively tourism spot dates back to the 1960s and early 1970s. Back in 1962, local residents decided to put the village on the tourism map. As a result, they formed Carnlough Civic Committee and set about organising an annual community festival. The first-ever Carnlough Civic Week was held in July 1963, and apart from a break between 1974 and 1981, this annual festival has continued to entertain many thousands of visitors and locals to the present day.

Fortunately, we now have an invaluable record of the early years of Carnlough Civic Week. Recently, when McNeill family members were clearing out the attic of their family home in Carnlough, they discovered an array of photographic negatives taken by their father, the late Mr Jim McNeill, a founding member of the civic committee. Now kindly donated to Larne Museum and Arts Centre, this photographic collection forms a treasure trove that takes us back through time to a bygone era. This Web site is a record of the early years of Carnlough Civic Week.