NEWS

Waiting on the chinook for extraction… Alan Barr serving with the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan Tuesday, 4 August 2026 Military veterans, armed forces personnel, and frontline emergency service workers across Mid and East Antrim will now be able to access discounted memberships at the borough’s leisure centres under a new council scheme aimed at recognising their service. Eligible veterans as well as those currently serving, PSNI officers and staff, Northern Ireland Fire

Pictured at the new pop-up park on Main Street in Larne are (l-r) Ald. Thomas Gordon, Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council; Eamon McMullan, Capital Regeneration Manager, MEABC; Ryan Black, Director of Growth & Major Projects, MEABC; Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA; Gail Kelly, Town Centre Development Manager, MEABC A previously derelict site in Larne has been transformed into a new pop-up park as part of a wider £367,750 regeneration programme aimed at improving t

Two people were brought safely ashore after both of their jet skis broke down off the County Antrim coast on Saturday afternoon, prompting a rescue operation by Larne RNLI. The volunteer crew launched their D class inshore lifeboat Terry at 2.24pm on Saturday, 1 August, after HM Coastguard received a distress call from one of the jet skiers reporting that the pair had become stranded near Browns Bay. Weather conditions were favourable at the time, with calm seas and a light n

Motorists in the Larne area are being warned to expect significant disruption from next week as a major £854,000 road resurfacing project gets underway, bringing a continuous five-week closure to part of the B99 Waterfall Road and Watch Hill Road. The Department for Infrastructure scheme will resurface almost 3km of road between the Ballyrickard Road/Waterfall Road junction and the New Line junction, with work due to begin on Monday 3 August. Five-week closure planned To allo

Electrical recycling point at one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC) Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to take extra care when disposing of batteries, vapes and electrical items after a series of potentially dangerous fire incidents at the borough’s Household Recycling Centres. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council says several recent near-misses have been caused by items being placed in the wrong recycling containers,

Tracey Hargey, left, with colleague Grace Gordon Quick-thinking staff at Asda in Larne have been praised after working together to help an elderly customer who collapsed and struck his head while shopping. The incident happened near the store’s self-service checkouts when the man suddenly fainted, prompting colleagues to spring into action while an ambulance was called. Staff rushed to help Team leader Tracey Hargey, who has worked at Asda Larne for more than 16 years, was am

Dunnes Head Office in Dublin. An East Antrim MLA says he was left waiting in the reception of Dunnes Stores’ headquarters for more than seven hours after travelling to Dublin to discuss the future of the retailer’s long-vacant Larne town centre building — but no one came to meet him. Danny Donnelly made the journey to the company’s head office on Friday, 24 July, to personally deliver a letter to Dunnes Stores CEO Margaret Heffernan after years of unsuccessful attempts by loc

Larne RNLI has officially welcomed a new era in its lifesaving service after its new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Machiko Nancy, was formally named during a ceremony in Larne on Saturday. The vessel, which has been on operational service since February, was dedicated during a special ceremony at East Antrim Boat Club attended by RNLI volunteers, supporters, dignitaries and the families whose generosity helped fund the lifeboat. The naming marks a significant milestone

RNIB’s Kirsty Campbell stands with Jeannie in her front garden as she presents a cheque for £100. People visiting a front garden in Ballygally this week were doing more than browsing handmade crafts — they were supporting a Larne woman who turned her own experience of sight loss into an act of kindness for others. Now in her 80s, Jeannie Hunter raised £100 for RNIB Northern Ireland by hosting an arts and crafts exhibition at her home in the picturesque coastal village, inviti

The vacant premises in Larne town centre will plans approved to be used as a place of worship Planning permission has been granted by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the change of use of a former coffee shop and bakery in Larne town centre into a place of worship. The proposal relates to a vacant commercial premises on Lower Cross Street. A development management officer’s report said the application proposes internal alterations only, with no external changes to the

Most recent participants and course leaders from the Medical Administration Academy in Mid & East Antrim Area People across Mid and East Antrim looking for a career in healthcare administration are being encouraged to register their interest for the next Medical Administration Academy after the latest programme helped participants build the skills needed to work in local GP practices. The eight-week academy, delivered by the Northern GP Federation Support Unit (NFSU) in partn

RNLB Machiko Nancy, set to be officially named in a cermony next weekend in Larne Larne RNLI’s new £multi-million Shannon class lifeboat will be officially named Machiko Nancy next Saturday, honouring the remarkable woman whose family helped fund a vessel expected to save lives for generations. The lifeboat, which entered service in February, will be named during a ceremony at East Antrim Boat Club at 2pm on Saturday, 18 July. Machiko Nancy replaces the station’s Trent class

Murdered in Larne: Andrew Cairns Detectives have renewed an appeal for information on the 26th anniversary of the murder of Andrew Cairns, who was beaten and shot after attending an Eleventh Night bonfire in Larne. Andrew was at a bonfire at Boyne Square on 11 July 2000, ahead of the annual Twelfth celebrations, when he was attacked by a group of men near Greenland Drive. He was taken to the nearby Moyle Hospital but died in the early hours of 12 July from a single gunshot wo

Larne RNLI all-weather lifeboat Machiko Nancy. (Image: Jason Bain) Two paddleboarders have been brought safely back to shore after being found on the Isle of Muck off Islandmagee on Saturday evening. Larne RNLI’s volunteer crew was returning from an earlier emergency call when it received a fresh request from HM Coastguard at around 5.20pm on 11 July. A member of the public had spotted that the paddleboarders were in difficulty and raised the alarm — a decision the lifeboat c

Larne RNLI volunteers rescuing a fishing boat on the Antrim coast. Three people aboard a broken-down fishing boat were brought safely ashore after Larne RNLI launched a rescue operation off the County Antrim coast. The callout on Thursday evening, 9 July, marked the first operational shout for volunteer crew member Andy Purves, who recently joined Larne RNLI. The fishing vessel was found around half a mile north of Portmuck, close to the cliffs, after suffering a mechanical f

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon is pictured with George Doherty, Programme Officer at FCN Northern Ireland. Farmers, agricultural workers and rural residents across Mid and East Antrim are being encouraged to seek medical help early if they notice possible signs of cancer, after councillors agreed to support the ‘Nip it in the Bud’ campaign. The initiative, led through the Rural Communities Cancer Project, aims to raise awareness of cancer symptoms among

Invest Northern Ireland support has helped secure £20 million of business investment across the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council area over the past year, with 106 new jobs set to be created as a result. New performance figures for 2025/26 show investment in the borough more than doubled compared with the previous year, with Invest NI providing more than £4 million in support to businesses to drive innovation, improve productivity and expand operations. The latest results hig

(Photo: Jason Bain) A fishing boat carrying two crew members was safely brought back to Larne Harbour on Monday evening after suffering a mechanical failure close to one of Northern Ireland’s busiest shipping routes. Volunteer crew from Larne RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat following a request from HM Coastguard at 7.42pm on Monday after receiving reports that the vessel had broken down at sea. The incident unfolded north-east of the East Maidens Lighthouse, where th

The scene today as Larne RNLI volunteers were tasked to a fishing boat drifting in the shipping lane close to the Port of Larne. (Images: Alex Morris) A small fishing boat found drifting unattended in a busy shipping channel close to the Port of Larne was safely recovered on Sunday afternoon after volunteers from Larne RNLI were called into action. The alarm was raised at 4.44pm on Sunday, July 5, when the volunteer crew of Larne RNLI were requested by HM Coastguard to launch

A group of musicians who took part in the previous Soundfest in Ballymena, as part of the Shared Island initiative between Waterford City & County Council and Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has secured around £128,000 in funding for a major new cross-border arts and culture programme that will focus on breathing new life into underused spaces in Larne and Carrickfergus while creating new opportunities for residents to take part in creat