Malone Road facts for kids

Malone Road, a busy street in Belfast

The Malone Road is a main road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It starts near the university area and stretches south into the fancy neighbourhoods of Malone and Upper Malone. These areas are known for their beautiful homes and are considered quite wealthy.

The Malone Road runs next to another main road called the Lisburn Road. Many smaller streets connect the two. At its northern end, the Stranmillis Road joins the Malone Road, and they become University Road. This road then meets the Lisburn Road to form Bradbury Place. Most of the Malone Road is in the BT9 postcode area.

At the very end of the Malone Road, you'll find Malone House. This is a grand old mansion built in the late Georgian style. Today, Belfast City Council looks after it. The homes on the streets leading off Malone Road are quite expensive, making the area famous for being very well-off.

History of Malone Road

Malone Road During the Troubles

During a difficult time in Northern Ireland's history known as the Troubles, there were some sad events on Malone Road. On August 25, 1971, a young man named Henry Beggs was killed by a bomb near the Northern Ireland Electricity Service office. Later, in June 1979, a soldier named Alexander Gore was killed in a gun attack at the army barracks on Malone Road.

The army base on Malone Road was closed down in 2003 and sold for new buildings.

Schools and Learning

Fisherwick Presbyterian Church

St John's Anglican Church

The Malone Road area is home to some of Belfast's most famous grammar schools. At the northern end, you'll find Methodist College Belfast. Further south is Victoria College, Belfast.

The area also has Queen's Elms Village, which is where over 1,000 students from Queen's University Belfast live while they study. Inchmarlo, which is the junior school for the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is also located here.

Sports and Clubs

The Malone Road is a great place for sports! It's home to St Brigid's Gaelic Athletic Club, which started in 1998. This is the biggest Gaelic sports club in South Belfast, and they've won many championships in both Gaelic Football and Hurling. Aquinas Football Club also began in this area.

Off the Malone Road, you'll find many private sports clubs. These include the YMCA grounds at Bladon, Belfast Harlequins and Methody sports ground at Deramore Park. The Royal Belfast Academical Institution has playing fields at Osborne Park and Bladon. Queen's University Belfast also has its playing fields in Upper Malone.

Places of Worship

There are four churches in the Malone area. These include St Brigid's Roman Catholic Church, Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, St John's Church Malone Anglican Church, and McCracken Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Plants and Wildlife

Even in a busy city area like Malone Road, you can find interesting plants. Experts have studied the "wild plants" or "weeds" that grow here. They noticed that people in the area keep their gardens very tidy.

However, in an old lane off Malone Park, they found plants like Common Figwort, Foxglove, and Red Campion. A type of orchid called Broad-leaved Hellborine was found growing along New Forge Lane. Also, Three-cornered Garlic was seen in an area called Cranmore.

Famous People from Malone Road

Many well-known people have lived in the Malone Road area of Belfast over the years. Early residents included Moyses Hill and John Eccles, who lived in Cranmore House. Later, the famous botanist John Templeton lived on the road.

More recently, the Malone Road has been home to chef Paul Rankin, actress Séainín Brennan, and television presenters Rose Neill, Donna Traynor, Jim Fitzpatrick, and Paul Clarke.

The area has also been featured in books and comedy shows. Writer Gareth Russell wrote novels about it, which were turned into plays. Comedian Paddy Rafferty also made jokes about the area in his TV show and stand-up acts.