All Our Stories
It focused on Templestragh Church and its graveyards, the site of Ballintoy Castle and an 18th century school at White Park Bay. The society, assisted by professional archaeologists from local universities, studied archaeological surveys, historical documents and collected the stories and the memories of local people.
Supported by professionals, they completed an archaeological survey of the substantial ruins of the medieval church at Templastragh and the foundations of an earlier church on the site. Participants then produced sketch drawings to illustrate what had been discovered.
The group shared what they had uncovered through a travelling exhibition, Ballintoy's Hidden History website, blog, tours and numerous community workshops. They were delighted with the response from the local community, who brought old photographs and other historical documents to the events, which were then scanned to create a community archive. Members of the society were also trained to lead guided tours to the three sites.