NEWS

Arthur Cottage Cullybackey is set to take its place on an international heritage trail linking the ancestral homes of American presidents, as Tourism NI unveils a major programme of new visitor experiences designed to attract more overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. The village is one of four key locations on the new ‘Presidents, Heritage & Homecomings: The Ancestral Cottage Trail’ – a premium two-day guided experience that will connect the homesteads and heritage of US pr

Cullybackey is set to swap County Antrim for Nashville and New York for an afternoon as an all-American community celebration arrives in the village on Saturday with live music, food, family entertainment and a packed programme of attractions. The Cullybackey Community Festival, organised by Cullybackey Community Partnership, will take place on today Saturday, July 4, at Cullybackey College from 1pm until 6pm, bringing together tribute performances, competitions, craft stalls

Cullybackey New Cemetery A local woman has spoken of her upset and frustration after sentimental items were damaged and removed from her brother’s grave in Cullybackey, marking the second reported act of vandalism at the site in just over six months. The incident happened at a grave in Cullybackey New Cemetery on Fenaghy Road and has prompted a police appeal for information. According to the woman, the latest damage occurred within days of her placing a handmade tribute on th

Caroline Martin, Dale Farm pictured with Sixth Form pupils from Cullybackey College One of Northern Ireland’s best-known food producers has been strengthening its connection with young people in Ballymena through a year-long partnership designed to give pupils real insight into careers beyond the classroom. Through the ‘Adopt a School’ initiative run alongside Dale Farm and Business in the Community Northern Ireland, students at Cullybackey College have been given hands-on ex

Jonathon Fulton (CCP Chair), Dr Paul Roelle (US Consulate), Richard Hanna (CCP) Cullybackey Community Partnership has unveiled a major new exhibition exploring the remarkable role ordinary people from the local area played in the events surrounding American Independence — uncovering stories that stretch from rural Mid and East Antrim to the inner circle of George Washington himself. The project, titled Ordinary People Extraordinary History – Cullybackey and American Independe

Cullybackey Orange Hall and arch stand proudly in the village Cullybackey is set to host a landmark moment in the local parading calendar next month as Ballymena District LOL No. 8 brings its first-ever District Mini 12th parade to the village in what organisers are describing as a major community celebration. The historic event, taking place on Saturday 27 June 2026, is expected to draw families, supporters, bands and spectators from across the wider Ballymena area for a day

Nine-year-old Ballymena boy Joshua Mairs who underwent emergency surgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital after being hit by an e-scooter in Cullybackey A nine-year-old boy has undergone surgery for a shattered elbow after being knocked down in a collision involving an e-scooter in Cullybackey — forcing his family to cancel a long-planned holiday and prompting a fresh warning to parents about the dangers of the illegal machines. Joshua Mairs was walking back from Cullybackey Pa

3D Aerial views of proposed new campus for Cullybackey College, outside Ballymena Cullybackey could be set for one of its biggest education and infrastructure transformations in decades under ambitious plans for a brand-new 700-pupil college campus, major new sports facilities and sweeping road upgrades aimed at tackling long-standing traffic problems around the village. The multi-million-pound proposals for Cullybackey College have now officially entered public consultation,

Arthur Cottage in Cullybackey, Ballymena. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed to scrap admission charges at one of its historic tourist attractions for a 12-month trial period — despite concerns from some councillors over falling income and ongoing financial pressures. Members of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee backed the proposal for free entry at President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey during a meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday

Pictured (L-R) Cullybackey Blues committee member Ryan O’Neill with TUV Braid Alderman Stewart McDonald Cullybackey Blues marked a major night for the club and the wider village community on Wednesday as new upgraded floodlights at the club’s pitch were officially welcomed alongside confirmation of the team’s automatic promotion to the Bsml Division 2. The improvements are expected to allow the club to continue training locally throughout the darker winter months while streng

Ballymena is preparing for one of its biggest annual public events as thousands of spectators, bandsmen, lodge members and families are expected to gather across the town for the 2026 District Twelfth demonstration. The traditional Twelfth of July parade will take place on Monday, 13 July, bringing together 30 local lodges, 17 bands and the unmistakable sound of the Lambeg drum as the procession makes its way through the town centre before heading to the main demonstration fi

Planning image of proposed new National Football Centre near Galgorm A major new National Football Centre proposed for a 50-acre site near Galgorm and Cullybackey is already generating strong local debate, with residents raising concerns over how the large-scale development could transform the surrounding rural area. The proposed Irish Football Association (IFA) complex, submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, would include six football pitches, spectator stands, fl

Aerial visual of proposed IFA national football centre outside Ballymena A planning application has been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the development of a proposed national football centre outside Ballymena. The proposal includes six football pitches — five outdoor and one indoor — with three hybrid surfaces and three artificial surfaces. One pitch is earmarked as a community pitch, while three pitches would be floodlit. The plans also include three spe

Students from Sead the Season at Cullybackey College celebrating being named ‘Company of the Year’ at the annual Young Enterprise NI Awards held in Belfast City Hall. Students from Cullybackey College have secured one of Northern Ireland’s top young enterprise honours after their student-run business was crowned ‘Company of the Year’ at a major awards ceremony in Belfast. The team behind Seed the Season impressed judges with a sustainability-focused business supplying seasona

The large, mature tree deliberately set on fire in Cullybackey. A deliberate fire at Cullybackey River Walk has drawn sharp criticism from a local councillor after emergency crews were called out to tackle what has been described as a reckless act of vandalism. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene in Cullybackey village, Ballymena, on Wednesday evening, April 29, after reports of a tree on fire in the area. The incident, which required a response from Ballymena Fire Stat

Cullybackey College’s current school premises on Pottinger Street Ambitious plans to completely redevelop Cullybackey College with a new 700-pupil post-primary campus and major road upgrades have moved into the public consultation stage, marking a significant step forward for long-awaited improvements to education facilities and traffic infrastructure in the village. The proposal, centred on lands to the north, south and west of No. 41 Dreen Road and including No. 130 Dreen R

A former nurse who was living in Cullybackey at the time of the offence has been struck off by the profession’s regulator after a criminal conviction over indecent online messages referring to sexual activity with children. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has removed 56-year-old David Kenneth Paul McKeown from the register following a Fitness to Practise Committee hearing held on 17 March 2026. The regulator imposed a striking-off order, alongside an interim suspensio

Inset: TUV Braid councillor Anne Henry A major resurfacing scheme is set to begin on Shellinghill Road, Cullybackey, with works scheduled to take place from 20 April to 24 April, in a move welcomed as a much-needed upgrade to one of the area’s long-standing road concerns. The improvement scheme will cover the section of road from the National Speed Limit sign to the railway crossing, addressing what local representatives say has become a road surface far beyond the stage of r

Claire McNaughton, Accommodation Certification Manager at Tourism NI with Anne Christie, Owner of The Railway Sleeper, which has been certified by Tourism NI A historic railway building in Cullybackey that lay derelict for more than four decades has reached another major milestone after securing official certification from Tourism Northern Ireland. Set within the grounds of Cullybackey Railway Station, first opened in 1856, The Railway Sleeper stands as a remarkable example

Alderman Stewart McDonald visiting the site of the works. Repeated flooding that left a Ballymena road vulnerable during heavy rainfall has now been addressed, following months of concern from local residents. TUV Bannside Alderman Stewart McDonald has welcomed the completion of works on Cardonaghy Road, describing the issue as a long-standing problem that caused “real disruption” for those living nearby and for motorists using the route. Long-running issue during heavy rain