President John McGlade congratulates John Moore, with club members Norman Maxwell (R) and Billy Platt with Jim Archer (L)

Coleraine Probus takes a heritage trip around Portrush

President John McGlade welcomed our morning speaker, John Moore who was along to Portrush and our unique local heritage. John is a member of Portrush Heritage Group established in 2014 by a group of local historians, which has a current membership of 170. The group's primary aim is to promote and stimulate an interest in, and learning about, the heritage and character of Portrush. The group also aims to encourage the preservation, protection, development and improvement of our local heritage, and interest in Portrush as well as the surrounding area.

A look at 'Corrstown' and what it may have been like in the Bronze Age

John explained in detail how the newly opened Heritage Trail was planned and developed by the Group, taking four years of dedicated hard work, and a grant aided budget of over £40,000. The starting point for John's talk was a quality brochure/guide book, which gave a walking tour outline of significant places of interest around the town and surrounds. The booklet is designed to be used with the Heritage Trail 'APP', which can be downloaded for free to a smart phone or tablet, using the 'Quick Codes' in the Guide (see below, you can use these images).

The App features guest voices and images that bring the past to life, while exploring the streets of the town using the interactive map. In addition, while being guided by the trail markers in the pavement, the multimedia content of the App will automatically trigger commentary about the heritage site you are visiting. With an introduction to the App and the town voiced by the popular local TV presenter Sarah Travers, you can discover Portrush's amazing archaeology, see how the town used to look and listen to tales of bravery and sadness revealing the town's past.

Sarah Travers lends her voice to introduce the heritage of Portrush
(how many other well known locals also lend a hand/voice?)

For members wishing to find out a little more about Portrush Heritage, the ONLY place you need to look, is the incredible and encyclopaedic 'Discover Portrush' website. From the site, not only can not you learn the fascinating and comprehensive history of the town (and wider area), but you can also find the 'Link' to the Portrush App - both of which featured as the second half of John's talk, for there is so much to see and listen to. Below are a few images of the website and Menu items and topics covered on the site:-

Welcome to the front page!

Not ALL the options above are fully working yet,
BUT there's plenty to keep you busy AND interested


And if you want more than the Heritage Trail…

To visit the Discover Portrush site, 'Click' the logo below (this will open in a new window).