Ballynahinch, County Down

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Ballynahinch
Irish: Baile na hInse
Ballynahinch, County Down (Northern Ireland)
Ballynahinch, County Down

Ballynahinch shown within Northern Ireland
Population 5,364
(2001 Census)
District Down District
County County Down
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BALLYNAHINCH
Postcode district BT24
Dialling code 9756
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
European Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament Strangford
NI Assembly ?
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down

Coordinates: 54°23′42″N 5°53′10″W / 54.395, -5.886

Ballynahinch (from the Irish: Baile na hInse meaning "townland of the island" or "townland of the river meadow") is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland and with Newcastle and Downpatrick, one of the three largest towns of the Down District Council area. It had a population of 5,364 people in the 2001 Census.

The town lies on the main A24 Belfast to Newcastle road 15 miles south of Belfast. Facilities in the town include a leisure centre. In recent years a regeneration committee has been formed for the development of the town and the surrounding Spa, County Down and Drumaness areas. The town is twinned with Lamorlaye, France.

Contents

[edit] History

The Market House
The Market House
The Credit Union
The Credit Union
Lidl supermarket
Lidl supermarket

[edit] Demographics

Ballynahinch is classified as a Small Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 5,364 people living in Ballynahinch. Of these:

  • 22.4% were aged under 16 years and 17.0% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
  • 31.3% were from a Catholic background and 65.4% were from a Protestant background
  • 3.7% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

[edit] Buildings of note

  • The town’s market house was built in 1795 and is currently used as a community centre
  • An old flax mill and corn mill stand on the outskirts of the town.

[edit] Transport

[edit] Traffic Congestion

The town is well known for its heavy congestion. A long-running campaign to provide a bypass for the town has so far been unsuccessful. Geological surveys were conducted over twenty years ago to determine the route of the bypass but money has never been allocated by the Department of the Environment. In the 1990s various traffic control measures were introduced including the present one way system, however all have failed to cope with the sheer volume of traffic which passes through the town daily. The establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 led to reports that a bypass may commence sooner than the 6 to 15 year projection of the DoE, supposing that a coalition of County Down MLAs could push the executive to approve the project faster than the British Northern Ireland Office ministers would. However the stop-start status of devolution has made such a move impossible and the NIO's Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has continued to be responsible for infrastructure decisions.

[edit] Rail

[edit] Education

  • Assumption Grammar School
  • The High School, Ballynahinch
  • St. Colman's Secondary School

[edit] Sport

  • Ballynahinch Rugby Football Club founded 1954, home ground Ballymacarn Park, plays in AIB Division Two
  • Ballynahinch Olympic have a senior side in the Newcastle league and junior sides in DYFL

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ballynahinch and Ballynahinch Junction stations. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links