{"id":23891,"date":"2025-05-01T12:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T11:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=23891"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T11:20:14","slug":"ballymoney-museum-opens-joey-25-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2025\/05\/ballymoney-museum-opens-joey-25-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballymoney Museum Opens Joey 25 Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Museums Services is thrilled to announce the official opening of the\u00a0Joey 25 Exhibition<\/strong>, a tribute to motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop, at Ballymoney Museum.<\/h4>\n

This free exhibition opens to the public from Tuesday 6th<\/sup>\u00a0May 2025 and commemorates 25 years since the passing of one of Northern Ireland\u2019s greatest sporting icons, and forms part of the Joey 25 celebration taking place in his home town this May.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Joey Dunlop, born in Ballymoney in 1952, was revered as the \u201cKing of the Roads\u201d and his extraordinary career boasted 26 Isle of Man TT wins, five Formula One World Championships, 13 North West 200 victories, and 24 Ulster Grand Prix triumphs.<\/p>\n

Beyond his racing prowess, Joey was honoured with an MBE in 1986 and an OBE in 1996 for his humanitarian work with children in Eastern Europe. The Joey 25 Exhibition celebrates his enduring legacy as a local hero and global ambassador for motorcycling.<\/p>\n

The exhibition showcases a unique collection of artifacts and memorabilia, many on loan from the Dunlop family archives and others loaned specifically for this display.<\/p>\n

Highlights include rare photographs, racing leathers, trophies, and personal items that chronicle Joey\u2019s remarkable journey.<\/p>\n

Of particular note is the racing leathers Joey wore during the 1981 Isle of Man TT, where riders wore all black as a protest. The exhibition also features the very gloves Joey wore when he lost the tip of his left-hand ring finger in a crash during the 1998 Tandragee 100 race meeting.<\/p>\n

Visitors will be able to explore restored and original racing bikes, alongside interactive displays and video tributes that capture his courage, humility, and passion for the sport.<\/p>\n

The official launch was attended by Joey\u2019s wife, Linda Dunlop, and many of the Dunlop family, who joined Councillor Ciar\u00e1n McQuillan, Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, to open the exhibition which will run daily Monday \u2013 Saturday 9am-5pm from Tuesday 6th<\/sup>\u00a0May \u2013 Saturday 30th<\/sup>\u00a0August 2025 (excluding bank holidays).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply honoured to host this exhibition in Joey\u2019s hometown,\u201d said Councillor Ciar\u00e1n McQuillan.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoey Dunlop was not just a sporting legend but a beloved figure who put Ballymoney on the world stage. This exhibition is a heartfelt tribute to his achievements and the profound impact he continues to have on our community and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Joey 25 Exhibition is part of a series of events commemorating the 25th anniversary of Joey\u2019s passing and Jamie Austin, Councils Museum Officer said: \u201cThank you to Linda and the Dunlop family for sharing their cherished items with us for this iconic exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also like to thank William McComb and Ian Waddell who have loaned bikes that Joey rode for the exhibition, in addition to Clifford Stewart who has also kindly loaned bikes to the museum which will be showcased as part of a display on the history of motorbike racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Museums team is very much looking forward to showing members of the public this exhibition and the legacy that Joey has left for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

On\u00a0May 24, 2025<\/strong>, the\u00a0Joey 25 Celebration<\/strong>\u00a0will feature over 25 motorcycling legends, including World Superbike Champions Carl Fogarty and Jonathan Rea, riding Joey\u2019s iconic bikes in a closed-road parade through Ballymoney\u2019s town centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoey\u2019s memory lives on through the love and support of his fans and our community,\u201d said Linda Dunlop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Joey 25 exhibition is a beautiful way to honour his life, and we\u2019re grateful to Ballymoney Museum staff and the Council for making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Museums Services is thrilled to announce the official opening of the\u00a0Joey 25 Exhibition, a tribute to motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop, at Ballymoney Museum. This free exhibition opens to the public from Tuesday 6th\u00a0May 2025 and commemorates 25 years since the passing of one of Northern Ireland\u2019s greatest sporting icons, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23891"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23893,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891\/revisions\/23893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}