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Ballymena

Coordinates:54°52′N6°17′W/ 54.86°N 6.28°W/54.86; -6.28
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Ballymena
Ballymena Town Hall,with the new Braid Arts Centre behind
Ballymena is located in Northern Ireland
Ballymena
Ballymena
Location withinNorthern Ireland
Population31,205 (2021 census)
Irish grid referenceD1003
•Belfast28 miles (45 km)SE
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBALLYMENA
Postcode districtBT42–BT44
Dialling code028 25
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Antrim
54°52′N6°17′W/ 54.86°N 6.28°W/54.86; -6.28

Ballymena(/ˌbæliˈmiːnə/BAL-ee-MEE-nə;[1]fromIrish:an Baile Meánach[ənˠˌbˠalʲəˈmʲaːn̪ˠəx]ⓘ,meaning 'the middle townland')[2]is a town inCounty Antrim,Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the2021 census,making it theseventh largest townin Northern Ireland by population.[3]It is part of the Borough ofMid and East Antrim.

The town was built on theBraid River,on land given to the Adair family byKing Charles Iin 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a Saturday market in perpetuity. Surrounding villages areCullybackey,Ahoghill,Broughshane,andKells-Connor.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

The recorded history of the Ballymena area dates to theEarly Christian period,from the fifth to the seventh centuries.Ringfortsare found in thetownlandof Ballykeel, and a site known as Camphill Fort in the townland of Ballee may also have been of this type. There are a number ofsouterrainswithin a1+1⁄4miles (2.0 km) radius of the centre of Ballymena. Two miles (3.2 kilometres) north in the townland of Kirkinriola, the medieval parish church and graveyard show signs of Early Christian settlement, including a souterrain. Also in 1868, a gravedigger found a large stone slab on which was carved a cross with the inscriptionord do degen.This refers to Bishop Degen, who lived in Ireland during the seventh century. This stone is now in the porch ofSt Patrick's Church of Ireland,at the end of Castle Street. At the end of the fifth century, a church was founded in Connor, five miles (8.0 kilometres) south of Ballymena. This was followed by a monastery at Templemoyle, Kells. In 831,Vikingsinvaded the area and burned the church.

In the late 12th century, theAnglo-Normans invaded Irelandand conquered much of what is now eastern Ulster, creating theEarldom of Ulster.They built amotte-and-baileyfort in what is now the Harryville area of Ballymena. It is one of the best-surviving examples of this type of fortification in Northern Ireland.

In 1315,Edward Bruce(brother of Scottish kingRobert the Bruce) invaded the Earldom of Ulster,opening up another frontin the war against the English. On 10 September 1315, at theBattle of Connor,near Ballymena, Edward's army defeated the army ofRichard de Burgh,the Anglo-NormanEarl of Ulster.

Early modern era[edit]

On 10 May 1607, during thePlantation of Ulster,King James Iof England granted the native Irish chief, Ruairí Óg MacQuillan, the Ballymena Estate. The estate passed through several owners, eventually passing into the possession of William Adair, a Scottishlairdfrom Kinhilt in southwestern Scotland. The estate was temporarily renamed "Kinhilstown" after Adair's lands in Scotland. The original castle of Ballymena was built in the early 17th century, situated to take advantage of an ancient ford on the River Braid. In 1626Charles Iconfirmed the grant of the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, giving him the right to hold a market at Ballymena every Saturday. He hired local Irish as workers on the estate; they served as tenant farmers for much of the next two centuries and more. Galgorm nearby was granted to SirFaithful Fortescue.In 1618 he built the Castle, which still exists.

During theIrish Rebellion of 1641,the local Ballymena garrison were defeated by Irish rebels in the battle of Bundooragh.

Ballymena's first market hall was built in 1684.[4]

In 1690, during theWilliamite-Jacobite War,Williamite general the Duke ofWürttembergusedGalgorm Castleas his headquarters.Sir Robert Adairraised a Regiment of Foot forKing William IIIand fought at theBattle of the Boyne.

The remains of the 1707 church. The tower was built in 1822 and is a listed building.[5]

By 1704, the population of Ballymena had reached 800. In 1707, the firstProtestant(Church of Ireland) parish church was built. In 1740, the original Ballymena Castle burned down. TheGracehillMoraviansettlement was founded in 1765.

During the1798 rebellion,Ballymena was occupied from 7 to 9 June by a force of around 10,000United Irishmen.They stormed the market hall, killing three of its defenders.[4]

The first modernRoman CatholicChurch in Ballymena was consecrated in 1827. By 1834 the population of Ballymena was about 4,000. In 1848 theBelfast and Ballymena Railwaywas established. In 1865Robert Alexander Shafto Adair(lateBaron Waveney) started building Ballymena Castle, a magnificent family residence, in the Demesne. The castle was not completed until 1887.

In 1870The People's Parkwas established.

20th century[edit]

Church Street, Ballymena, in the early 1900s

In 1900, Ballymena assumed urban district status.[4]Under the provisions of theLand Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903,the Adairs disposed of most of their Ballymena estate to the occupying tenants in 1904. The old market hall building, which also contained the post office and estate office, burned down in 1919. The newBallymena Town Hallwas officially opened by theDuke of Abercornon 20 November 1928.[6]

The Urban District Council petitioned for borough status and the Charter was granted in December 1937. The first meeting of councillors as a Borough Council was held on 23 May 1939. The population of Ballymena reached 13,000. Ballymena Castle was demolished in the 1950s. In 1973, the Urban and Rural District Councils were merged to createBallymena Borough Council.Following local government reorganisation in 2015, the Borough Council was merged with the Boroughs ofCarrickfergus Borough CouncilandLarne Borough Council.[7]

During theSecond World War,Ballymena was home to a large number of evacuees fromGibraltar.They were housed with local families.[8]

In the 1950sSt Patrick's Barracksin Ballymena was the Regimental Training Depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th). Many young men who had been conscripted on the United Kingdom mainland, along with others who had volunteered for service in the British Army, embarked upon their period of basic training in the Regimental Depot, prior to being posted to the regular regimental battalions. Many of these young men were to serve in Korea, Cyprus and with the British Army of the Rhine. In 1968 due to a series of government austerity measures, the remaining three Irish regiments, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (27th) Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th) and the Royal Irish Fusiliers (89th) merged to become the Royal Irish Rangers. Early in the 1990s theRoyal Irish Regiment,whose Regimental Headquarters was at St Patrick's Barracks, was granted the Freedom of the Borough.

Like other towns in Northern Ireland,Ballymena was affected by the Troubles,a lengthy period of religious and partisan tensions and armed confrontations from the 1960s until 1998. A total of eleven people were killed in or near the town by the IRA and variousloyalistgroups.

During the later half of the 20th century, Ballymena, like many other once prosperous industrial centres in Northern Ireland, experienced economic change and industrial restructuring; many of its former factories closed. Since the 2010s Ballymena has seen a decline in its retail and manufacturing sectors. BothMichelinand JTI have left the area. Local firmWrightbusis also struggling, citing a downturn in orders. It is hoped that the creation of a manufacturing hub at the former Michelin site will attract businesses to the area.

21st century[edit]

In March 2000, the actorLiam Neeson,a native of Ballymena, was offered thefreedom of the boroughby the council, which approved the action by a 12–9 vote. Neeson declined the award, citing tensions, and affirmed he was proud of his connection to the town.[9]Ian Paisleywas eventually made a freeman of Ballymena in December 2004 instead.[10]

Ballymena is described by some observers as being at the heart of Northern Ireland's equivalent of theBible Belt.[11][12]It has a large Protestant majority. In the early 1990s theDemocratic Unionist Party(DUP)-dominated town council banned a performance by theELO Part IIin the township, saying they would attract "the four Ds Drink, Drugs, Devil and Debauchery".[13]The Council banned the screening ofBrokeback Mountain(2005), starringJake GyllenhaalandHeath Ledger,as it featured a homosexual relationship. An impersonator of comicRoy 'Chubby' Brownwas also banned.[14]

The majority of the town's Catholic population is situated around the Broughshane and Cushendall Road areas. Recently there has been tension in the Dunclug area of the town which now has a Catholic majority. These tensions have been associated with internment bonfires and the flying of republican flags; the town has tried to reduce tensions.[15]

In 2011 it was revealed that Ballymena has the third-highest level of legal gun ownership in Northern Ireland.[16]

Ballymena competed forcity statusas part of thePlatinum Jubilee Civic Honours.[17]However, the bid was unsuccessful.

Economy[edit]

Ballymena was traditionally a market town. The 1980s were a time of job losses in Ballymena as industry suffered and this reoccurred in the 2010s.

Notable employers wereMichelinin Broughshane, JTI Gallaher in Galgorm, andWrightbus.

In November 2012, the Patton Group, a major builder entered administration with the loss of 320 jobs.[18]

In October 2014, it was announced that JTI Gallagher's would be closing with a loss of 877 jobs.[19]

In November 2015, Michelin decided to close their Ballymena factory after 50 years, resulting in the loss of up to 850 jobs.[20]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18212,740—
18314,067+48.4%
18415,549+36.4%
18516,136+10.6%
18616,769+10.3%
18717,932+17.2%
18818,883+12.0%
18918,655−2.6%
190110,886+25.8%
191111,381+4.5%
192611,873+4.3%
193712,928+8.9%
195114,173+9.6%
196114,734+4.0%
196615,917+8.0%
197123,386+46.9%
198118,166−22.3%
200128,717+58.1%
201129,551+2.9%
202131,205+5.6%
[3][21][22][23]

2021 census[edit]

On census day (21 March 2021) there were 31,205 people living in Ballymena.[3]Of these:

  • 51.6% of the usually resident population were female, and 48.4% were male.[24]
  • 59.53% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)', 27.44% belong to or were brought up 'Catholic', 1.06% belong to or were brought up in an 'other religion' and 11.97% did not belong to or were not brought up in any religion.[25]
  • 55.98% indicated that they had a British national identity,[26]31.28% had a Northern Irish national identity,[27]12.31% had an Irish national identity,[28]and 16.19% indicated an 'other' national identity.[29](respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
  • 17.74% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 6.18% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).[30][31]

2011 census[edit]

On census day (27 March 2011) there were 29,551 people living in Ballymena, accounting for 1.63% of the NI total,[21]representing an increase of 2.9% on the 2001 census population of 28,717.[22]Of these:

  • 19.20% were aged under 16 years and 17.61% were aged 65 and over.
  • 52.00% of the usually resident population were female 48.00% were male.
  • 65.76% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)' and 26.71% belong to or were brought up Catholic Christian.
  • 65.51% indicated that they had a British national identity, 27.66% had a Northern Irish national identity and 11.25% had an Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
  • 39 years was the average (median) age of the population.
  • 17.67% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 5.66% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).

Education[edit]

There are a number of educational establishments in the town. These include:

Transport[edit]

Ballymena railway stationopened on 4 December 1855. A station was opened at Harryville on 24 August 1878, but closed on 3 June 1940.[citation needed]

TheBallymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railwayoperatednarrow gauge railwayservices from Ballymena toParkmorefrom 1875 to 1940.[32]

TheBallymena and Larne Railwaywas another narrow gauge railway. The line opened in 1878, but closed to passengers in 1933 and to goods traffic in 1940. Between 1878 and 1880 the line terminated at Harryville, but was then extended to the town's main railway station.

Sport[edit]

Association football clubs in the area includeBallymena United F.C.,Coaching For Christ, Southside Rangers F.C. andWakehurst F.C.[33]

Ballymena RFCis a localrugby unionclub.[34]

All Saints GACis the onlyGaelic Athletic Associationclub in the town.

Other Ballymena sports clubs includeBallymena Cricket Club,Ballymena Lawn Tennis Club and Ballymena Bowling Club.[35]

Townlands[edit]

Townlandsare traditional land divisions used in Ireland. Ballymena covers all or part of the following townlands:

  • Ballee (fromIrishBaile Aodha'Hugh's townland')[36]
  • Ballycreggy (fromBaile na Creige,'townland of the rock/rocky land')[37]
  • Ballykeel (fromAn Baile Caol,'the narrow townland/farmstead')[38]
  • Ballyloughan (fromBaile Locháin,'townland of the little lake')[39]
  • Bottom
  • Brocklamont (historically Broghnamolt, fromBruach na Molt,'bank of the wethers')[40]
  • Carniny (probably fromCarn Fhainche,'Fainche'scairn')[41]
  • Dunclug (fromDún Cloig,'fort of the bell')[42]
  • Galgorm (fromGall Gorm,'blue castle', referring to a castle of the McQuillans which was burnt down in 1641)[43]
  • Town Parks of Ballymena (fromAn Baile Meánach,'the middle townland/farmstead')[44]

Climate[edit]

Climate data for Portglenone (64m elevation) 1981–2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4) 		7.4
(45.3) 		9.5
(49.1) 		11.7
(53.1) 		14.6
(58.3) 		16.9
(62.4) 		18.6
(65.5) 		18.3
(64.9) 		16.2
(61.2) 		12.7
(54.9) 		9.4
(48.9) 		7.2
(45.0) 		12.5
(54.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1) 		1.5
(34.7) 		2.8
(37.0) 		4.2
(39.6) 		6.5
(43.7) 		9.2
(48.6) 		11.2
(52.2) 		11.0
(51.8) 		9.4
(48.9) 		6.6
(43.9) 		3.8
(38.8) 		2.1
(35.8) 		5.9
(42.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 91.4
(3.60) 		60.8
(2.39) 		77.9
(3.07) 		64.2
(2.53) 		64.0
(2.52) 		70.0
(2.76) 		77.5
(3.05) 		88.5
(3.48) 		79.5
(3.13) 		101.1
(3.98) 		89.6
(3.53) 		89.2
(3.51) 		953.6
(37.54)
Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) 16.2 12.6 14.6 12.8 13.6 12.2 14.5 13.9 14.8 16.7 15.8 15.8 173.5
Source: metoffice.gov.uk[45]

Notable people[edit]

See also:Category:People from Ballymena

Arts and media[edit]

Politics[edit]

Academia and science[edit]

Religion[edit]

Military[edit]

Business[edit]

Sport[edit]

International relations[edit]

Twin towns[edit]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBallymena.

References[edit]

  1. ^Wells, John C. (2008),Longman Pronunciation Dictionary(3rd ed.), Longman, p. 66,ISBN9781405881180
  2. ^"An Baile Meánach/Ballymena".Logainm.ie.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2013.Retrieved9 February2016.
  3. ^abc"Settlement 2015".NISRA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
  4. ^abc"Ballymena: A brief history of the town".Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2007.Retrieved15 July2007.
  5. ^"Old Parish Church Tower Old Church Yard Entry Church Street Ballymena Co. Antrim".DOENI.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2015.Retrieved3 February2015.
  6. ^"County Antrim, Ballymena, Town Hall".Dictionary of Irish Architects.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2021.Retrieved27 April2021.
  7. ^"Local government reform".Nidirect.gov.uk.27 October 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2016.Retrieved9 February2016.
  8. ^"Ballymena finds its twin in Gibraltar".Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved13 June2007.
  9. ^Xan Brooks (11 February 2005)."'Did you ever do the dead man's shuffle?'".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 18 September 2005.Retrieved28 July2005.
  10. ^"EIPS – Dr Paisley Given The Freedom of Ballymena".Ianpaisley.org.Archivedfrom the original on 18 April 2010.Retrieved9 February2016.
  11. ^"A plague in God's own town".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2023.Retrieved11 August2023.
  12. ^Rosie Cowan (17 February 2001)."Drugs secret lurks in Ulster's Bible belt".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2023.Retrieved11 December2016.
  13. ^"Where drugs cross the religious divide".Irish Independent.20 February 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2011.Retrieved13 November2010.
  14. ^"Chubby Live".Retrieved13 November2010.[dead link]
  15. ^"News".Ballymena Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.Retrieved9 February2016.
  16. ^"7,929 legal guns in Ballymena".Ballymena Times.26 July 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2012.Retrieved9 February2016.
  17. ^"Bangor, Ballymena and Coleraine bid to become a city as part of Queen's Jubilee".belfasttelegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2021.Retrieved28 December2021.
  18. ^"Ballymena firm Patton goes into administration".BBC News. 6 November 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 2 January 2016.Retrieved9 February2016.
  19. ^Julian O'Neill (8 October 2014)."JTI Gallaher: Ballymena factory staff given time off to absorb closure news".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2016.Retrieved9 February2016.
  20. ^Julian O'Neill (3 November 2015)."Michelin Ballymena tyre factory to close in 2018".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2018.Retrieved9 February2018.
  21. ^ab"Census 2011 Population Statistics for Ballymena Settlement".Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency(NISRA).Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2021.Retrieved13 August2019.
  22. ^ab"Census 2001 Usually Resident Population: KS01 (Settlements) – Table view".Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency(NISRA). p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2021.Retrieved13 August2019.
  23. ^1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey For a discussion on the accuracy ofpre-faminecensus returns seeJJ Lee"On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr andCormac Ó GrádainThe Economic History Review,New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov 1984), pp. 473–488.
  24. ^"Preview data for Sex (MS-A07) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved27 March2024.
  25. ^"Religion or religion brought up in".NISRA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
  26. ^"National Identity (British)".NISRA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
  27. ^"National Identity (Northern Irish)".NISRA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
  28. ^"National Identity (Irish)".NISRA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
  29. ^"Preview data for National identity (person based) – basic detail (classification 1) (MS-B15) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved27 March2024.
  30. ^"Preview data for Knowledge of Ulster-Scots (MS-B08) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved27 March2024.
  31. ^"Preview data for Knowledge of Irish (MS-B05) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder".build.nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved27 March2024.
  32. ^Baker, Michael HC (1999).Irish Narrow Gauge Railways. A View from the Past.Ian Allan Publishing.ISBN0-7110-2680-7.
  33. ^"Ballymena".Team Stats.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2022.Retrieved8 November2022.
  34. ^"Ballymena RFC Wins Participation Award".Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2022.Retrieved8 November2022.
  35. ^"Ballymena Bowls".Bryansbowls.me.uk. 9 April 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2012.Retrieved25 March2013.
  36. ^"Ballee".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  37. ^"Ballycreggy".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  38. ^"Ballykeel".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  39. ^"Ballyloughan".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  40. ^"Brocklamont".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  41. ^"Carniny".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  42. ^"Dunclug".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  43. ^"Galgorm".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  44. ^"Town Parks of Ballymena".Northern Ireland Place-Names Project.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2023.Retrieved12 January2023.
  45. ^"Climate Normals 1981–2010".Met Office.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2021.Retrieved24 February2021.
  46. ^Smith, John (13 May 2021)."Twinning signs placed in three prominent spots around Gibraltar".EuroWeekly News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2023.Retrieved22 May2023.
  47. ^"Mayo's county town was awarded European flag in 1967".Connaught Telegraph.7 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2023.Retrieved11 August2023.
  48. ^"Liam Neeson and Michael Collins went toe-to-toe in TF".Connaught Telegraph.25 May 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2023.Retrieved11 August2023.

Other sources[edit]

  • "Battle Over Ballymena's Heroes." (8 March 2000).Belfast News Letter,p. 1.
  • Judd, Terri. (9 March 2000). "Old hatreds Flare Over Neeson Freedom Award."The Independent(London), p. 7.
  • Watson-Smyth, Kate. (23 March 2000). "Row Over Religion Sours Ballymena's Award to Actor."The Independent(London), p. 12.
  • Ballymena on theCulture Northern Irelandwebsite.
  • Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Antrim V111, Vol 23, 1831–5,1837–8. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queens University Belfast.ISBN0-85389-466-3

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBallymena.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forBallymena.
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