| Carnmoney | |
| Irish: Carn Monaidh | |
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Carnmoney
Carnmoney shown within Northern Ireland |
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| Population | 2,775 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| - Belfast | 6.3 miles (10.1 km) |
| District | Newtownabbey |
| County | County Antrim |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWTOWNABBEY |
| Postcode district | BT36 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | East Antrim |
| NI Assembly | East Antrim |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Antrim | |
Carnmoney (from Irish: Carn Monaidh meaning "cairn of the bog") is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Carnmoney is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough. It lies 7 miles from Belfast city centre.
Carnmoney is known throughout Belfast for its large graveyard. The "Carnmoney Cemetery" sits on the slopes of Carnmoney Hill, which is a nature reserve. The poet Derek Mahon mentions Carnmoney Cemetery in his poem "My Wicked Uncle".
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Carnmoney, as a settlement, grew up around a holy well (still visible in the current Church of Ireland grounds), Glas-na-bradan river and Carnmoney Hill. The area became a Norman borough known as Coole or Le Coule, the borough was wrecked several times during subsequent English/Irish/Scots battles and nothing is left. Le Coule was on the site of the present Rathfern/Rathcoole housing estates. Bits of the Old Irish Highway, an old route from Carrick to Antrim passing through the Norman borough, are still visible running alongside the current O'Neill Road. Carnmoney as a name has come to represent Carnmoney Village (previously known as Ballyduff).
Carnmoney Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest Presbyterian Churches in Ireland as it dates from 1657. The plot where it stands was previously home to a meeting house, from 1622.
Mary Butters (1807–1839), also referred to as the "Carnmoney Witch", was put on trial for murder in March 1818. She was called a "Wise-woman" in the area and had been hired by a local farmer to lift a "curse" he believed had possessed one of his cows.
The day after she had supposedly lifted the spell, the farmer, his wife and his son were found dead in their home. Butters was accused of murdering them with a, "herbal potion" she had created to use on the cow. Her story was that a man appeared before them with a huge bludgeon and killed the three only stunning her. The affair was the topic of much talk in Belfast and its surrounding villages, however Butters was discharged from the Spring Assizes in Carrickfergus by proclamation.
For a wider view of the entire Newtownabbey area see The Troubles in Newtownabbey
There are seven schools in Carnmoney, all at primary level, run by the North Eastern Education and Library Board.
The last UK census in 2001 showed Carnmoney had a population of 2,765. However the 2008 estimate is much higher due to major sub-urbanisation in Belfast.[4]
Carnmoney Hill is a northern outlier of the Belfast Hills chain and rises 232m (761 ft) above Newtownabbey, and thus it can be seen from North County Down, Belfast Lough, the M2/M5 and Belfast City. The eastern side is mainly ancient wood with semi-natural grasslands and other habitats interspersed e.g. scrubland and bracken. The hill top has a volcanic cap yet the slopes are mainly of limestone and flint, joining mudstones at the coastal belt below.
The Woodland Trust and the Newtownabbey Borough Council own most of the eastern side, a third of the hill, although the crest and western two thirds of the hill lie in private hands, which include most of the cultivated, grazing and heath land. There are numerous paths through the private land (often used by the public), leading to the top however there are no permanent paths on the hill open to the public. Dunanney Ráth or 'Fort' stands majestically overlooking Carnmoney Cemetery on the southern face of Carnmoney Hill. This prestigious ráth site, where in ancient times fairs and festivals were held, may date to Celtic times (around 500 BC). In 1556 the Earl of Sussex, Lord Deputy to Elizabeth I, camped with his troops at Dunanney where he met with Irish chieftains and tried unsuccessfully to pacify the Irish. The name Dunanney has been translated both as 'The Fort of the Assemblies' and 'The Fort of the Watery Place' (built on rock, it tends to be wet and marshy). A second ráth exists to the east of Dunanney. Two souterrains (man-made underground passages) have been found on the hill, although more are likely to have existed in the past. Dunanney Ráth is on private land and not open to the public, however the part of Carnmoney Hill owned by Woodland Trust is just south of Dunanney is open all year round. Newtownabbey Borough Council has in recent times tried to open Dunanney Ráth with little success. Plans to open a park on the hill are also underway. Lilian Bland built and flew her own glider, the first biplane built in Ireland, from here in 1910.[5] There are a variety of habitats including floral meadows, wetland patches, shrub land, old hedgerows, copses, mixed ash woods, and semi natural woodland. The grazed lands tend not to have many wildlife species however they add to the hills landscape patchwork when seen from afar. The hill offers good views of Belfast City, Cave Hill, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and Bangor. On clear days the Mourne Mountains, Slemish Mountain and sometimes the western coast of Scotland are easily visible.[6]
Carnmoney cemetery is well known throughout Belfast. It is a large cemetery split into two main sections on the east and west sides of the Prince Charles Way. A Cross of Sacrifice was erected in the cemetery after the First World War. There are 46 Commonwealth burials of the First World War war and 44 of the Second World War war here. The cemetery has been the source of much controversy in recent years. In 2006 14 graves were damaged by vandals with floral tributes and ornaments being smashed on the graves. Outrage after the event led to a rise in foot patrols in the cemetery.
However the main area of controversy with the cemetery was over the Roman Catholic celebration of Cemetery Sunday when Catholics gather to honour their dead family and friends. Loyalists in the area threatened to,
if the celebration continued. Actions by loyalists has been condemned by both nationalists and unionists, and despite the celebration being delayed in 2005, it continues each year despite threats. The actions were described as,
by local politicians.