The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, meets some of the main characters at the Siege of Carrickfergus.The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, meets some of the main characters at the Siege of Carrickfergus.
The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, meets some of the main characters at the Siege of Carrickfergus.

Pageantry and spectacle in pictures as annual Siege of Carrickfergus draws the bank holiday crowds

There was colour and spectacle in Carrickfergus on bank holiday Monday as crowds gathered for the annual Schomberg’s Siege.

More than 40 re-enactors from across the United Kingdom and Ireland, all dressed in period costume, helped to bring the historic events to life as spectators witnessed Carrickfergus Castle under siege by King William III’s forces, led by the Duke of Schomberg against the Jacobite Irish commanding forces that took place in 1689, ahead of King William’s arrival nearly a year later.

With a pageantry parade to meet King William at the pier, live cannon and musket firing, the chance to visit military encampments, as well as a falconry display and fun for children, the popular event attracted thousands of spectators from far and wide.