Ballymena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ballymena Irish: an Baile Meánach
Ballymena Town Hall, with the new Braid Arts Centre behind
Ballymena
Population	31,205 (2021 census)
Irish grid reference	D1003
• Belfast	28 miles (45 km) SE
District	Mid and East Antrim
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BALLYMENA
Postcode district	BT42–BT44
Dialling code	028 25
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	North Antrim
NI Assembly	North Antrim
List of places UK Northern Ireland Antrim 54°52′N 6°17′W / 54.86°N 6.28°W / 54.86; -6.28

Ballymena (pronounced BAL-ee-MEE-nuh) is a busy town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Its name comes from the Irish words an Baile Meánach, which means 'the middle townland'. In 2021, about 31,205 people lived here, making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland. Ballymena is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough.

The town was built on the Braid River. In 1626, King Charles I gave the land to the Adair family. They were allowed to hold two yearly fairs and a Saturday market forever. Nearby villages include Cullybackey, Ahoghill, Broughshane, and Kells-Connor.

Exploring Ballymena's Past

Ancient Times in Ballymena

The story of Ballymena goes back to the Early Christian period, from the 400s to the 600s. You can find old Ringforts in areas like Ballykeel. A place called Camphill Fort might have been one too. There are also several underground tunnels, called souterrains, near the town centre.

About 2 miles (3 km) north, in Kirkinriola, there's an old church and graveyard. They show signs of early Christian life, including a souterrain. In 1868, a worker found a stone slab with a cross and the words ord do degen. This refers to Bishop Degen, who lived in Ireland in the 600s. This stone is now in the Parish Church of St Patrick in Ballymena.

Around the late 400s, a church was built in Connor, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Ballymena. Later, a monastery was built at Templemoyle, Kells. But in 831, invaders from the Norse lands attacked the Ballymena area and burned the church.

Norman Influence and Medieval Battles

In the 1100s, the Normans took over much of County Antrim and County Down. They had conquered England a century before. They built large earth mounds topped with wooden towers, called mottes, for defense. The Harryville area has one of the best examples of these motte-and-bailey forts in Northern Ireland.

In 1315, Edward Bruce, the brother of King Robert I of Scotland, invaded Ireland. On 10 September 1315, at the Battle of Tawnybrack near Kells, Edward defeated the army of Richard De Burgo, the Norman Earl of Ulster.

Ballymena's Growth and Changes

In 1576, Queen Elizabeth I gave land, including Ballymena, to Sir Thomas Smith. He brought English settlers, but his plan failed by 1581.

On 10 May 1607, King James I gave the Ballymena Estate to the Irish chief Ruairí Óg MacQuillan. The land changed hands several times until it came to William Adair, a Scottish laird. The first Ballymena castle was built in the early 1600s near a river crossing. In 1626, Charles I confirmed the land grant to William Adair. He also gave Adair the right to hold a market in Ballymena every Saturday.

In 1641, Irish rebels defeated the local Ballymena soldiers in the Battle of Bundooragh. Ballymena's first market house was built in 1684. This is where the present town hall stands today.

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

By 1704, Ballymena had about 800 people. In 1707, the first Protestant church was built. The original Ballymena Castle burned down in 1740. The Gracehill Moravian community was started in 1765. During the 1798 rebellion, about 10,000 United Irishmen took over Ballymena for a few days.

The first modern Roman Catholic Church in Ballymena opened in 1827. By 1834, the town's population was around 4,000. In 1848, the Belfast and Ballymena Railway was built. In 1865, Robert Alexander Shafto Adair began building a grand family home, Ballymena Castle. It was finished in 1887.

In 1870, The People's Park, Ballymena was created. It is still a very popular park today.

Ballymena in the 1900s

In 1900, Ballymena officially became an urban area. The "old" town hall, which also had the post office, burned down in 1919. Prince Albert (who later became King George VI) laid the first stone for the new town hall in 1924. It opened in 1928.

Ballymena became a borough in 1937. By then, its population reached 13,000. Ballymena Castle was taken down in the 1950s. During the Second World War, many people from Gibraltar came to live in Ballymena. They stayed with local families.

In the 1950s, St Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena was a training base for soldiers. Many young men trained there before joining different army groups. In 1968, several Irish regiments joined to form the Royal Irish Rangers. Later, the Royal Irish Regiment was given the "Freedom of the Borough."

Like other towns in Northern Ireland, Ballymena was affected by The Troubles. This was a long period of tension and conflict from the 1960s to 1998.

In the late 1900s, Ballymena saw many factories close. But since the early 2000s, it has become a centre for international companies and large shops. It still has successful factories like Michelin and JTI, and the local company Wrightbus.

In 2000, the famous actor Liam Neeson, who grew up in Ballymena, was offered the freedom of the borough. He later declined the award, but said he was proud of his connection to the town.

Ballymena is known for having a large Protestant population. The town's Catholic population mainly lives around the Broughshane and Cushendall Road areas.

Ballymena's Economy

Ballymena has always been a market town. In the 1980s and 2010s, the town faced job losses as some industries struggled.

Important employers in Ballymena have included Michelin in Broughshane, JTI Gallaher in Galgorm, and Wrightbus.

In 2012, the Patton Group, a big construction company, closed down, leading to 320 job losses. In 2014, JTI Gallagher's announced it would close, affecting 877 jobs. In 2015, Michelin decided to close its factory after 50 years, meaning up to 850 jobs were lost.

People of Ballymena

2021 Census Information

On 21 March 2021, there were 31,205 people living in Ballymena.

• About 51.6% were female, and 48.4% were male.
• About 59.5% were Protestant or other non-Catholic Christian.
• About 27.4% were Catholic.
• About 12% did not have a religion.
• About 56% said they had a British national identity.
• About 31.3% had a Northern Irish identity.
• About 12.3% had an Irish identity. (People could choose more than one identity).
• About 17.7% knew some Ulster-Scots.
• About 6.2% knew some Irish (Gaeilge).

2011 Census Information

On 27 March 2011, there were 29,551 people living in Ballymena.

• About 19.2% were under 16 years old.
• About 17.6% were 65 and over.
• About 52% were female, and 48% were male.
• About 65.8% were Protestant or other non-Catholic Christian.
• About 26.7% were Catholic.
• The average age of people in Ballymena was 39 years.
• About 17.7% knew some Ulster-Scots.
• About 5.7% knew some Irish (Gaeilge).

Learning in Ballymena

Ballymena has many schools and colleges:

• Primary Schools:
  • Ballymena Primary School
  • Braidside Integrated Primary School
  • Dunclug Primary School
  • St. Brigid's Primary School
  • St. Colmcille's Primary School
• Secondary Schools:
  • Ballymena Academy
  • Cambridge House Grammar School
  • Dunclug College
  • Slemish College
  • St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena
  • St Patrick's College, Ballymena
• Further and Higher Education:
  • Northern Regional College

Getting Around Ballymena

Ballymena railway station opened on 4 December 1855. Another station at Harryville opened in 1878 but closed in 1940.

There were also narrow gauge railways. The Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway ran services from Ballymena to Parkmore from 1875 to 1940. The Ballymena and Larne Railway opened in 1878 but closed for passengers in 1933.

Sports in Ballymena

Ballymena has many sports clubs:

• Football clubs: Ballymena United F.C., Coaching For Christ, Southside Rangers F.C., and Wakehurst F.C..
• Rugby union club: Ballymena RFC.
• Gaelic Athletic Association club: All Saints GAC.
• Other clubs: Ballymena Cricket Club, Ballymena Lawn Tennis Club, and Ballymena Bowling Club.

Ballymena's Townlands

Townlands are old land divisions in Ireland. Ballymena covers parts of these townlands:

• Ballee (meaning 'Hugh's townland')
• Ballycreggy (meaning 'townland of the rock')
• Ballykeel (meaning 'the narrow townland')
• Ballyloughan (meaning 'townland of the little lake')
• Bottom
• Brocklamont (meaning 'bank of the wethers')
• Carniny (likely meaning 'Fainche's cairn')
• Dunclug (meaning 'fort of the bell')
• Galgorm (meaning 'blue castle')
• Town Parks of Ballymena (meaning 'the middle townland')

Ballymena's Climate

Famous People from Ballymena

Arts and Media

• Ethna Carbery: A journalist, writer, and poet.
• Ian Cochrane: A novelist.
• Graham Forsythe: A Canadian artist, born in Ballymena.
• Jackie Fullerton: A BBC Sports broadcaster.
• Joanne Hogg: A singer, born in Ballymena.
• Ronald Mason: A Head of Programmes for BBC Northern Ireland.
• David McWilliams: A singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
• George Millar: A singer and founding member of The Irish Rovers.
• Liam Neeson: An Oscar-nominated actor, born and raised in Ballymena.
• James Nesbitt: An actor, born in Ballymena.
• Clodagh Rodgers: A pop singer.

Science and Learning

• Professor Darwin Caldwell: A robotics expert.
• Sir Samuel Curran: A physicist and inventor of the Scintillation Counter.

Religion

• Alexander Campbell: A leader in the Restoration Movement in the United States.
• James McKeown: The founder of the Pentecostal movement in Ghana.

Military

• Alexander Wright: A Victoria Cross recipient during the Crimean War.

Business

• Timothy Eaton: A Canadian businessman who founded Eaton's department store.

Sports

• Steven Davis: A football player for Rangers F.C. and Northern Ireland.
• Jamie Hamilton: A motorcycle racer.
• David Humphreys: An Ulster and Ireland rugby player.
• Ian Humphreys: An Ulster and Ireland rugby player, David's brother.
• Sharon Hutchings: A former high jumper who won a silver medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
• Eamonn Loughran: A former WBO World Welterweight Boxing Champion.
• Matt McCullough: An Ulster and Ireland rugby player.
• Tom McKinney: A rugby union and rugby league footballer.
• Syd Millar: A former Ireland rugby player and chairman of the IRB.
• Colin Murdock: A former Northern Ireland international football player.
• Mary Peters: A Northern Irish Olympian.
• Jamie Smith: A former rugby union player for Ulster Rugby.
• Nigel Worthington: A former Northern Ireland football player and manager.
• Bryan Young: An Ulster and Ireland international rugby player.

Ballymena Around the World

Twin Towns

Ballymena has special links with these towns:

• Gibraltar
• Castlebar, Ireland

See also

In Spanish: Ballymena para niños