"Erected in Memory of John Getty of Broughdone who departed this life 17th Jan 1851, aged 92 years, also Nancy Getty his wife who departed this life 19th July 1867, aged 103 years"

On the following page are a few paragraphs taken from an article titled "Ahoghill! It Has A Rich History", which appeared in the Ballymena Observer, Thursday, February 21, 1980.

"This community is a friendly one indeed. The folk are ever ready to bid you 'time of day', or have a 'bit of a crack' with you if the opportunity arises. They'll do you a good turn if they can and there's no denying their hospitable spirits. Ahoghill is a very ancient village, mentioned by a French traveler as far back as the 12th century who at that time described it as comprising a few small dwellings. The story has it that he did not stop there, as he found no convenient place to water his horses, which seems strange as the name of Ahoghill means 'the meeting place by the bushes by the ford.'

"An ancient O'Neal Castle once stood on the route on an old highway on what is now the Straid road and there was a John O’Neal who was rector of Ahoghill between 1376 and 1471. The ancient graveyard at Church Street contains a gravestone of singular interest, with the inscription: 'The vault underneath was built before the country was enriched by the linen trade.'

"The linen trade brought a great measure of prosperity to the country and Ahoghill, like many another community in Northern Ireland, enjoyed the benefits. The noise of the handlooms could once be heard at what was known as Weavers' Row, on the Ballymena Road at the approach to the village, and before the Braidwater Spinning Mill was built in Ballymena, the Ahoghill weavers would leave their homes in the small hours with their bundles of cloth on their backs, and set off on foot for the markets in Belfast. With the coming of the industrial revolution, the young men and women of Ahoghill gradually left their homes to seek work in the bigger towns. With the Braidwater Mill beckoning, workers from the village used to leave at six o'clock in the morning: to walk to their work in the mill, and it is said that two women used to lighten the trudge by singing as they walked along. In the summer time they would travel in their bare feet to save their footwear!"