Armed Forces Day - Carrickfergus

June 25th has been declared Armed Forces Day throughout the United Kingdom and in Northern Ireland our Armed Forces Day event was held in Carrickfergus with the impressive Norman castle as the backdrop.  This was a fitting location as Carrickfergus was historically a garrison town.

Taking centre stage was the regimental band of the Royal Irish Regiment which entertained members of the public as they viewed the many artefacts on display, many of which dated from the second world war.

The following photographs are just a few of what were taken on the day, the highlight of which was a fly past of modern day RAF fighter jets.

Photographed operating this rare anti aircraft gun is David McCallion who has assembled the largest collection of such equipment in Ireland. Sadly he has been unable to enlist the support of the relevant Assembly Minister and the collection will be broken up, most items going abroad. This gun is the only fully complete and operating gun surviving. The following photographs also show some of the other artefacts in David's collection. To see more of David's collection visit www.waryearsremembered.co.uk.