![Ballyronan harbour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Ballyronan_harbour.jpg)
Ballyronan () is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
and
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
in
County Londonderry,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, on the north western shore of
Lough Neagh. The village is from
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
and from
Cookstown. It is situated within
Mid-Ulster District
, settlement_type = District
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_type1 = Constituent country
, subdivision_type2 =
, subdivision_type3 =
, subdivisi ...
.
History
The village was founded by Daniel Gaussen in 1788. He built a forge on the shore of
Lough Neagh for manufacturing spades and soon afterwards erected stores. This led to the building of quays and the formation of a port, which greatly benefited the surrounding countryside. A large distillery was erected in 1824, and a brewery in 1830, by Messrs. Gaussen and Sons. Vessels of about 50 tons burden plied regularly between the village and
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, exporting wheat, fruit, spirits, ale, and freestone, and bringing back barley, timber, slate, iron, wine and groceries.
The village was well situated for trade as besides being on
Lough Neagh, several roads diverge from it. The village was situated on the estate of the Salters Company of London. Near it are the ruins of Salterstown Castle.
In May 1922, during the
Irish War of Independence, a
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...
sergeant, Frederick Frizelle and two
Special Constables, Edward Hegarty and Thomas Hunter were returning from patrol in Ballyronan when they were ambushed and killed by the
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...
. In retaliation, a week later, Special Constables shot three Catholic brothers at their home in Ballyronan, killing one, James McKeown.
The Troubles
More recently, Eugene Martin, a Catholic civilian was murdered by the
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign ...
(UVF) on 2 February 1993.
Winston Finlay, a Protestant, shot in front of his wife, by the IRA, as he arrived at his home in Ballyronan. The gunmen opened fire as he got out of the car to open the garage door to allow his wife to drive in. He had previously been a full-time UDR soldier serving in the Intelligence Cell in
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
, County Londonderry and had also served in the RAF for 14 years. He was a member of the Ballyronan Orange Lodge and was a serving member of the RUCR when he was murdered.
Governance
Ballyronan constitutes part of the Ballinderry
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
(named after the Ballinderry River) of
Mid-Ulster District Council
Mid Ulster District Council ( ga, Comhairle Ceantair Lár Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Mid Ulstèr Airts Cooncil'') is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Cookstown District Council, Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough ...
. This ward elects six councillors to the 16-person council. At the 2005 election, there were two
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...
and two
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...
members chosen to represent this ward, as well as one
Ulster Unionist
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...
and one
Democratic Unionist. Notably, this ward did not see an election, as the number of candidates standing for office was the same as the number of seats available.
Ballyronan is within the Mid Ulster
Northern Ireland Assembly constituency and
UK Parliament constituency.
Geography
The village is a cluster settlement, built around the junction of four roads which pass through the village. These roads go to
Coagh,
The Loup
The Loup () is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies near the western shore of Lough Neagh between Moneymore, Magherafelt, Ballyronan and Coagh, within the district of Mid Ulster.
Sport
Gaelic games are very po ...
,
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
and
Toome
Toome or Toomebridge () is a small village and townland on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies in the civil parish of Duneane in the former barony of Toome Upper, and is in the Antrim and Newtownabbe ...
.
Demography
On Census Day 27 March 2011, in Ballyronan Settlement, considering the resident population:
98.59% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) ethnic group;
83.98% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 13.73% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion; and
16.37% indicated that they had a British national identity, 43.84% had an Irish national identity and 41.02% had a Northern Irish national identity*.
Amenities
The small village centre contains a mini-supermarket,
fish and chip shop
A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop, is a (often fast food) restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and c ...
,
pubs
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, and two wine sellers. The business units at the Quay contain a beauty parlor, Chinese take-away, chip shop, architects and development association for Lough Neagh.
On the shore just off the main street lies the Marina Complex containing the local community centre, a bar, boat berthing yard, boat slipways and a harbour with 72
berths, a play park, picnic areas, caravan/camping site, and small forest.
Sport
Soccer
Arthur David Ash Gaussen was the first and so far only internationally capped person from the village. Playing for Moyola Park on the grounds of Lord Spencer Chichester's estate in
Castledawson
Castledawson is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is mostly within the townland of Shanemullagh (, IPA: anˠˈʃanˠˌwʊl̪ˠəx, about four miles from the north-western shore of Lough Neagh, and near the market town of Mag ...
when first called into the Irish squad. Lord Chichester was the inaugural president of the
Irish FA, and
Moyola Park the first-ever winners of the
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
.
Arthur Gaussen won his first two caps while with Moyola Park, and the remaining four later in the decade while playing for Magherafelt F.C. Gaussen would later become a Justice of the Peace and Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry. Gaussen Villas in Ballyronan is named in recognition to his family. Representative Honours: Ireland: 6 Full Caps (1884–1889).
Gaelic Football
Gaelic Football is a popular sport in the area, with
The Loup
The Loup () is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies near the western shore of Lough Neagh between Moneymore, Magherafelt, Ballyronan and Coagh, within the district of Mid Ulster.
Sport
Gaelic games are very po ...
being the local
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...
club. Ballyronan has remained void of any Gaelic football team but for those who were born and reared in the village, they usually choose to play for the
Loup Gaelic Football team.
The other residents of the village who have an interest in Gaelic football will play football for other teams in the neighbouring hamlets of;
* Ardboe for
Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa GAC
Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa GAC ( ga, CLG Ard Bó Uí Dhonnabhain Rosa) is a club based in east County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, close to the shores of Lough Neagh. The club was formed in 1947 but Gaelic games had existed under different banners fr ...
* Ballymaguigan for
Ballymaguigan GAC
Saint Trea's Ballymaguigan GFC ( ga, Naomh Trea Baile Mhic Uiginn CLG) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballymaguigan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It plays in Derry league and championships. It currently caters for bo ...
* Ballinderry for
Ballinderry Shamrocks
Ballinderry Shamrocks GAC ( ga, Baile an Doire na Seamróga CLG) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinderry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and cater for gaelic football and camogie. ...
Watersports
As the village is situated at the Northern tip of Lough Neagh, this provides the perfect base to host watersports events and since 2001 the village has hosted the Lough Neagh Triathlon each summer. The event has also doubled as the Irish Triathlon Championships.
Fishing and sailing are also popular in and around Ballyronan.
See also
*
List of villages in Northern Ireland
*
Traad Point
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in County Londonderry
Mid-Ulster District