larnes curran park

The Memorial to the Emigrants:

The monument at Larne's Curran Park was designed to represent a typical Ulster family about to set out on the journey across the Atlantic. The central figure of the father has his arms around his wife and son in a protective gesture, while the mother carries the family Bible to symbolise not only the importance of their faith to these 18th century emigrants but also that often the family tree and other documents were contained within the leaves of this precious book. The boy, carrying his shoes so as not to wear out the leather, also has a small bag containing his belongings. An added little feature for our feathered friends is that one of the shoes has been created as a bird bath.

The monument, cast in bronze, was designed on the advice of the Ulster-American Committee by sculptor Ed Barton and was unveiled in May 1992 by an American Professor, Dr. Bobby Moss of Blacksburg, South Carolina, an acknowledged expert on the role of the Ulster Scots in the American Revolution.