Ballymoney

Ballymoney Baile Monaidh
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55.071° N 6.508° W
Statistics
Province:	Ulster
County:	County Antrim
District:	Ballymoney Borough Council
Population (2001)	9,021

Ballymoney (in Irish: Baile Monaidh, ie townland of the moor) is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council. The Council is dominated by the Democratic Unionist Party. Sinn Féin is the second largest party with the Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and an independent making up the rest.

Ballymoney is one of the oldest towns in Ireland with many buildings of historic note in the town centre. An old church tower dating from 1637 is the town’s oldest surviving building. Another striking feature is the town clock and Masonic hall, built in 1775 by the 6th Earl and 2nd Marquis of Antrim. The hall was used as a market house, courthouse, town hall and school. The town hall was erected in 1866. The town also hosts the Ballymoney Drama Festival, the oldest drama festival in Ireland, which was founded in 1933.

Ballymoney has expanded in recent years and a lot of new houses have been built. This is primarily as a result of high house prices in the Coleraine/Portstewart/Portrush 'Triangle' areas shifting first-time buyers to the less expensive Ballymoney area. Ballymoney is located on the main road between Coleraine and Ballymena, with good road and rail connections to the main cities in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry.

The Ballymoney area has the highest life expectancy of any area in Northern Ireland, with the average male life expectancy at birth being 78.0 years and 82.6 years for females.[1].

History

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Ballymoney, which includes a list of incidents in Ballymoney during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

2001 Census

Ballymoney is classified as a Small Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 9,021 people living in Ballymoney. Of these:

• 22.6% were aged under 16 years and 19.8% were aged 60 and over
• 47.3% of the population were male and 52.7% were female
• 17.3% were from a Catholic background and 79.8% were from a Protestant background
• 3.9% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

People

• One of Ballymoney's most famous residents was Joey Dunlop, known as the "King of the Road". Joey Dunlop, MBE, OBE was five time World Motorcycle Champion with 24 Ulster Grand Prix wins, 13 North West 200 wins and 26 Isle of Man TT wins. Joey was tragically killed while racing in Estonia during 2000. A statue in memory of Dunlop stands in the town.

• William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, was born in Ohio, the descendant of a farmer from Conagher, near Ballymoney. He was proud of his ancestry and addressed one of the national Scotch-Irish Congresses held in the late 19th century. His second term as President was cut short by an assassin's bullet.

• Bridget McKeever, a field hockey player of the Irish National Women's Team, was born in Ballymoney.

Education

• Ballymoney High School
• Ballymoney Primary School
• Dalriada School
• Lislagan Primary School

Sport

• Ballymoney United F.C.
• Glebe Rangers F.C.
• Setanta's GAC

Transport

• Ballymoney railway station

Town twinning

• Benbrook, Texas

References

• Culture Northern Ireland

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of Irish Towns with a Market House

External links

• Ballymoney Market House

Categories