The Carrickfergus Advertiser is a weekly newspaper in the east Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

 town of Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...

. It is currently owned by the Alpha Newspaper Group

Alpha Newspaper Group

Alpha Newspaper Group is a media group, primarily involved in local newspaper publishing and radio broadcasting, in Northern Ireland. The group has a significant share in the Northern Ireland media market.-Ownership:...

, which is partly owned by former UUP

Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...

 MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 John Taylor

John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney

John David Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, PC , is a former Ulster Unionist Party MP and a life peer. He was deputy leader of the UUP from 1995 to 2001, and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.-Career and family:...

.

The East Antrim Gazette Series has three editions - The Carrickfergus Advertiser, (established in 1883), and the Ballyclare Gazette and Larne Gazette which both commenced publication in 1994. The Carrickfergus Advertiser is the traditional weekly newspaper of the Borough and is the only paper with full-time office in the centre of Carrickfergus. Being new weekly newspapers, the latter two are experiencing a rapid growth in circulation in the East Antrim area. The three editions circulate in an area with a population of 80,000 and the Carrickfergus Advertiser is a very popular paper with all sections of the community throughout the Borough of Carrickfergus. Carrickfergus is an historic Borough with a significant tourist industry reinforced with a new leisure boat marina.

East Antrim is a major growth area of Northern Ireland with many new residential developments in Carrickfergus and Ballyclare. East Antrim is very much within the commuter belt to Belfast and many who live there, would regularly shop in Belfast.

website: www.ulsternet.co.uk or www.carrickadvertiser.co.uk

Contact Details:
6 Market Place, Carrickfergus, BT38 7AW
The only newspaper with a full-time office in Carrickfergus.

Tel: 028 9336 3651
Fax: 028 9336 3092

ITN journalist Dermot Murnaghan started his career at the Carrickfergus Advertiser.