For centuries there was a salmon fishery on the tiny island of Carrick-a-rede. In order to collect the salmon, a boat had to come in from the nearby town of Ballintoy. This made the whole operation time-consuming and unreliable. So, in the mid-eighteenth century, local salmon fishers decided to sling a rope bridge over to the island. Today the bridge, spanning some 18 metres, about 24 metres above sea level, is one of Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions. Billy Stirling is a retired engineer who works here as a National Trust warden. As he explains, the original versions of the bridge were very different to the one we see today:
Billy Stirling (Northern Irish accent): We have a few photographs of the early bridge. It was a lot less bridge than there is today. The original bridge only had one handrope; there was no sides on it. I’m sure in those days, when the fishermen were carrying their fish back across the bridge, that was a precarious crossing, I would have thought, yeah.
THE FEAR FACTOR...
Today’s is a lot sturdier. So why are people still so nervous about crossing the bridge?
Billy Stirling: I think it’s the fear factor. Many people come here with a fear factor in their mind, before they get to the bridge. They have seen pictures, seen films and so on. It does look quite intimidating.
THERE’S ALWAYS ONE...
Only eight people are allowed on the bridge at a time. Yet at least one of them will insist on hopping up and down to make it wobble. Some visitors make it across to the island, but then can’t face the return journey. Billy has developed a special technique to coax visitors across. He tries to distract them with questions and jokes. He might tell them to look at his face instead of looking down:
Billy Stirling: We had a lady one day asked me what height the bridge was above sea level. I told her it was about 80 feet. She looked down at the rocks below and she said: “Would that be a problem, if you fell off?” So, in true Irish tradition, I assured her that the first 79 feet, would not be a problem, but she could have a problem after that!
For more information:
- www.nationaltrust.org.uk
- www.discovernorthernireland.com
