Upcoming dig in Shaftesbury Park, Carrickfergus sparks memories of 'shamrock pond'

In early March, members of the public were invited to get involved with a community excavation at the Joymount park in May 2024.

Part of a three-year archaeological heritage programme, organised by the Community Archaeological Programme Northern Ireland (CAPNI) based at Queen’s University Belfast, the project aims to uncover more details about a fort marked on a 1830s map of the area.

And while the dig itself has generated significant interest in the town, the plans have also led many to reminisce about the park’s other historic elements – in particular, the ‘shamrock pond’.

The striking water feature, which is understood to have been filled in some years ago under the legacy Carrickfergus Borough Council, appears to have been a popular spot. “I used to go paddle in it,” one social media user wrote, while another added: “I would really love to have it back, put into use and maintained. Imagine the fun kids would have.” Others agreed that the pond was a “piece of the town’s heritage” and should “never have been taken away”.

And while uncovering the story behind the fort remains the focus for the upcoming dig, Shaftesbury Park itself, and the area surrounding it, are steeped in history.

Built on land gifted by Lord Shaftesbury to the people of Carrickfergus, the area was originally attached to a medieval friary. In the early 1600s when Sir Arthur Chichester governed the castle and town, a boundary wall was built around Carrickfergus, part of which remains in the park today.

This well-preserved section of old town wall forms part of the North East Bastion, its sandstone corner stones having been quarried further along the coast at Cushendun.

Over the years it has quietly evolved, playing host to both locals and visitors – from the backdrop for Civic Queen crowning ceremonies in the 1930s to the more recent ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ performances.

As an area of historic interest, the park is also included in the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Archive, which forms part of the Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland. Listed as a ‘municipal park with [a] shamrock shaped pond’, the park as a whole was noted as an example of a ‘late formal’ garden.