Northern Ireland

Guinness World Records has no plans to send adjudicator to height bid loyalist bonfire in Larne

The Craigyhill bonfire in Larne, Co Antrim. Picture by Mal McCann
The Craigyhill bonfire in Larne, Co Antrim. Picture by Mal McCann The Craigyhill bonfire in Larne, Co Antrim. Picture by Mal McCann

Guinness World Records say they have no plans to send an adjudicator to an Eleventh Night bonfire at the centre of a £9,000 fundraising drive.

Building work is already underway at the controversial pyre in the Craigyhill area of Larne, which is just a short distance from where 36-year-old John Steele fell to his death while helping to build a bonfire in the Antiville area last year.

Guinness World Records has no plans to send adjudicator to height bid loyalist bonfire in Larne
Guinness World Records has no plans to send adjudicator to height bid loyalist bonfire in Larne

The Craigyhill bonfire in July last year. Picture by Mal McCann

A GoFundMe page has now been set up to raise £9,000 to bring an adjudicator from the prestigious Guinness World Records to assess the towering structure.

A bonfire at the same site last year reached a height of around 202ft - which organisers claim is an unofficial world record.

They say last year's height was not officially recognised as the cost of bringing a Guinness World Record adjudicator to the Co Antrim bonfire site was too high.

More than £1,300 has already been donated to the bonfire fundraising page.

"We would really like some help to raise the funds to invite the Guinness world record adjudicator over and make it official on 11th July 2023," a message on the page said.

"We feel we were so close but know what it takes to get the height.

"We really want to bring the record home where it belongs and make our community/wee country proud.

"Please give what you can afford, every little bit helps us hit our target. Hope to see you all in July 2023 at the world's biggest bonfire."

The current world record for a bonfire stands at more than 198ft for a pyre built in Austria.

 Earlier this week Belfast based SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said the "prospect of obtaining a Guinness world record is unfortunately encouraging bonfire builders to attempt to build pyres to heights which are extremely dangerous, posing a risk to the local community and to bonfire builders themselves".

Mr Whyte wrote to Guinness World Records and urged the body not to engage with the Larne bonfire builders.

SDLP councillor Carl Whyte
SDLP councillor Carl Whyte SDLP councillor Carl Whyte

In a staement to the Irish News Guinness World Records said: "We have not received an application for the upcoming event and have no plans to send an adjudicator."

Mr Whyte hopes the response will encourage other bonfire builders to be responsible.

Read More : What are eleventh night bonfires?

“I welcome confirmation from Guinness World Records that they will not send an adjudicator to this event," he said.

"I hope that this stance will encourage bonfire builders to keep bonfires within safe limits in future and not put bonfire builders and local communities at risk by building huge pyres.”

Confirmation from Gunness World Records came after the Irish News revealed that the bonfire where Mr Steele fell to his death last year is not expected to take place next month.

The ground on which the bonfire was being built is owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Mr Steele is said to have been an experienced bonfire builder and had been involved in helping to construct the local pyre for many years.

It was reported earlier this year that the council was facing legal action from relatives of the dead man.

Craigyhill bonfire builders were contacted.