Antrim, County Antrim

Encyclopedia : A : AN : ANT : Antrim, County Antrim

Antrim (Aontroim in Irish or Aontreibh, ie single house or habitation (referring to an early monastery north of the town)) is a large town in County Antrim in the north-east of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east from Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre for Antrim Borough Council. It is 21-¾ miles north-west of Belfast by rail, and was, until recently, also served by the railway line from Lisburn.

It is a busy shopping town and is also home to the only International Retail Outlet in Ireland, Junction One, named after the junction on the M22 motorway which links to part of the major M2 motorway.

There are many buildings of historic note in the town, especially in and around High Street. The courthouse sits at the end of the street, near the Barbican Gate, the old gateway to Antrim Castle. There are also hidden gems, such as a 19th century smithy (now a shop) on Bridge Street with a distinctive horseshoe entrance.

Contents

1 History
2 Places of interest
3 People
4 2001 Census
5 Education
6 References
7 External links
8 See also

History

A battle was fought near Antrim between the English and Irish in the reign of Edward III; and in 1642 a naval engagement took place on Lough Neagh, for Viscount Massereene and Ferrard (who founded Antrim Castle in 1662) had a right to maintain a fighting fleet on the lough. During the 1798 rebellion on June 7, 1798 United Irish rebels under Henry Joy McCracken unsuccessfully attacked the town, meeting defeat in the Battle of Antrim. The county governor, Lord O'Neill, was mortally wounded in the fighting. Before the Union Antrim returned two members to parliament by virtue of letters patent granted in 1666 by Charles II.

Places of interest

The environs, including Shane's Castle and Antrim Castle, possess features of considerable interest. About a mile from the town is one of the most perfect of the round towers of Ireland, 93 feet high and 50 in circumference at the base. It stands in the grounds of Steeple, where there is also the "Witches' Stone", a prehistoric monument.

There was a Castle, near the Six Mile Water, which was destroyed in a fire in 1922. Sinn Fein was blamed for the fire. All that remains is an octogonal tower. The river allowed the linen industry to be established and now there is a new Technology Park, the only one in Northern Ireland.

People

Antrim was home to famous author and poet Dr. Alexander Irvine,he was born in Pogues Entry in the town. He later wrote My Lady of the Chimney Corner. This was a reference to his mother. Another famous person to come from Antrim was Brazilian star Ronad de Assis Moreira (Ronaldinho),this was because his mother who was a nurse and was on a teaching course at the time suddendly felt concractions and had the star four weeks premature.

2001 Census

Antrim is classified as a Large Town by the [NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with population between 18,000 and 75,000). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 20,001 people living in Antrim. Of these:

23.1% were aged under 16 years and 15.7% were aged 60 and over
48.6% of the population were male and 51.4% were female
32.9% were from a Catholic background and 61.5% were from a Protestant background
3.8% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: [NI Neighbourhood Information Service]

Education

St Malachy's High School

References

[Culture Northern Ireland]