Lambeg, County Antrim

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For the drum used in Northern Ireland, see Lambeg drum.

Lambeg (Irish: Lann Bheag) is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, ten miles southwest of Belfast and two miles from the city of Lisburn. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 60 people. It is situated in the Lisburn City Council area.

Like most placenames throughout the island of Ireland, the name Lambeg derives from the Irish language. "Lann Bheag" was the original version, meaning "Little Church" or "Little Building." This is supported by an early English language approximation of the Gaelic, which used the spelling "Landebege."

The River Lagan flows through the village and it was because of the river and the damp climate of the Lagan Valley, that flax was first grown there. This resulted in Lambeg becoming a centre for the Linen industry in the area. The fertile land of the Lagan Valley was part of the manor granted in 1611 to Sir Fulke Conway. English tenants, mainly from the north of England according to Rankin, were brought over by Conway to settle on his estate. It is suggested that they also brought experience of textile making with them. The earliest documentary evidence of the textile industry in Lambeg records the setting up of a bleach green in 1626 by a John Williamson.

In 1921 the Government of Northern Ireland set up a "Linen Industry Research Association" (LIRA). This was situated in Lambeg, for the scientific and technical research of textiles, especially linen. Due to the decline of the industry the centre closed in 1993, although it's library of books and journals are now housed in the Lisburn Museum.

Locally significant buildings include Lambeg Old National School (1849), which is now converted to a dwelling and is a listed building.

The Lambeg drum is named after Lambeg village.