Dunmurry
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Dunmurry (; ) is an
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
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 origi ...
in
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 Kingdo ...
,
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 ...
. Dunmurry is in the Collin
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
for the
local government district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
of
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the ...
.


History

Until the end of the 18th century, Dunmurry was largely an agricultural area dominated by wealthy landowners. In 1817, work began on a new road from Belfast to Dublin through
Finaghy Finaghy ( or ; ) is an electoral ward in the Balmoral district of Belfast City Council, Northern Ireland. It is based on the townland of Ballyfinaghy ().Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
as many of the local factories and mills were promoted by local entrepreneurs. It remained very much a village until the late 1920s, when developers became keen to seize the greenfield sites for overspill housing and for industry - a phenomenon which became particularly evident after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The largest expansion of the village in this era came with the advent of the Housing Trust, who, in response to a 1951 order for 1500 units of social housing to be built between Belfast and Lisburn, purchased a large amount of land at Suffolk and former
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...
land at Seymour Hill and Conway. One third of these housing units were reserved for residents of Lisburn


Politics

Politically, Dunmurry falls into the Collin district electoral area of
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the ...
. This is composed of the wards of Dunmurry, Seymour Hill, Derriaghy, Colin Glen, Kilwee,
Poleglass Poleglass () is an area of west Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is the name of a townland, a modern electoral ward, and a housing estate. The townland is situated in the civil parish of Derriaghy and the historic Barony of Belfast Upper. It is m ...
, Twinbrook and Lagmore. From 1 April 2015, Dunmurry transferred to
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the ...
under local government reforms. In 2008, it was recorded in statute that the Dunmurry ward would transfer in its entirety from
Lagan Valley The Lagan Valley (, Ulster Scots: ''Glen Lagan'') is an area of Northern Ireland between Belfast and Lisburn. The River Lagan rises on Slieve Croob in County Down and flows generally northward discharging into Belfast Lough. For a section, the ...
to Belfast West. Furthermore, it was decided that the section of the Derriaghy wards which lay to the north of the Derriaghy and Lagmore townland boundary would also transfer to Belfast West. The Member of Parliament for the constituency in which most of Dunmurry lies is
Paul Maskey Paul John Maskey (born 10 June 1967) is an Irish republican politician in Northern Ireland who is a member of Sinn Féin. He served as a Sinn Féin member (MLA) of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast West from 2007 to 2012. He has served ...
,
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 Gri ...
MP for Belfast West.


Features

Backed by the Colin Mountain, with its Colin Glen, Dunmurry is flanked by the River Lagan which, although canalised, still retains the atmosphere of a quiet rural waterway. All around Dunmurry's housing estates are open landscapes which include the golf course, the Antrim Hills, Moss Side and the Lagan Valley. There are also extensive playing fields in and around Dunmurry. Dunmurry has its own
golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety ...
, originally located in Upper Dunmurry Lane. The course was designed and laid by G.S. Dunn of Newcastle, County Down, in 1805. The course was extended to 14 holes in 1973 and then to 18 holes in 1977. After road improvements were carried out in the area, the club moved to a new course in Dunmurry Lane, approximately 1 mile away from the previous course. The original course is now a 9-hole course and is home to the Colin Valley Golf Club. Dunmurry is also the home of Dunmurry Cricket Club who play in the Northern Cricket Union. Dunmurry C.C was formed in the 1940s and has had varied success in the N.C.U. Its most important achievement was the winning of three Junior Cups which is represented in the club badge by three stars and the arch in the badge represents one of the many bridges in Dunmurry. Dunmurry Primary School has served the local community since opening its doors in 1930. It was inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate in November 2011 and was rated 'outstanding' - the highest rating attainable. The school also has a Nursery Unit which opened its doors in September 2004. More recent additions to the school include an environmental garden, raised bed planting area and wildlife pond. It also provides a breakfast club from 8 am and after school care. Dunmurry was home to Dunmurry High School (established in 1968 to teach the children's age range - 11 to 16) which closed in 2011,
Rathmore Grammar School Rathmore Grammar School, normally referred to simply as "Rathmore", is a Catholic grammar school in Finaghy, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The current and second lay principal of the school is Arthur Donnelly, who succeeded Thérèse Hamilton a ...
(consisting of over 1000 pupils and has topped the league tables several times for Best A Level Results), and the Belfast Bible College, one of five Queen's University constituent colleges recognised to teach undergraduate and postgraduate (certificate, diploma and part-time) courses in
Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
. The Belfast Bible College does not belong to any single denomination but is a community drawn from 20 different denominations and over 30 different countries. There are currently about 120 full-time students, one third of whom are following degree pathways. Dunmurry was the location of the
DeLorean Motor Company The DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) was an American automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John DeLorean in 1975. It is remembered for the one model it produced—the stainless steel DeLorean sports car featuring gull- ...
factory where the DeLorean sports car was manufactured from 1981 until 1982. About 8,500 DeLoreans were made before production ended in 1982, and as of 2006, 6,500 are estimated to still exist. The DeLorean was famously featured in the ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'' movie trilogy.


Dunmurry tower block fire

A fire broke out in the fourteen-storey Coolmoyne House on the Seymour Hill estate that is operated by the
Northern Ireland Housing Executive The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is the public housing authority for Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's largest social housing landlord, and the enforcing authority for those parts of housing orders that involve houses with multiple ...
in Dunmurry at around 17:30 on 15 November 2017. The 56-flat tower block and its sister block Rathmoyne House were built in 1964 by Lisburn City Council. There were no fatal injuries and four minor injuries. The fire broke out on a flat on the ninth floor and the occupant alerted his neighbours. There was great concern as the automatic fire alarms failed to activate and residents had to be individually alerted. The ambulance and fire service were present by 17:35 and the residents were evacuated to the Seymour Hill and Conway Community residents' association community hall. It was explained that the alarms had worked to specification and would only sound when smoke was detected in each individual flat. This failed to placate the residents as the incident was exactly five months after the Grenfell Tower fire.


Sport

*Dunmurry Cricket Club plays in the
NCU Senior League The Northern Cricket Union (NCU) Senior League is the provincial cricket league within the NCU jurisdiction in Ireland, which covers counties Antrim, Armagh, Down and south Tyrone of Northern Ireland. The league was formed in 1897 and is curre ...
. * Dunmurry Recreation F.C., more commonly known as Dunmurry Rec. *
Dunmurry Young Men F.C. Dunmurry Young Men Football Club is a Northern Ireland, Northern Irish, intermediate football club playing in Division 1B of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club is based in Dunmurry in Belfast, and was formed in 1955. The club plays ...
* Iveagh United F.C. *
Dunmurry Golf Club Dunmurry Golf Club is located in Dunmurry Lane, south-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It consists of an 18-hole course with a par of 70. Founded in 1905, the club was originally located in Upper Dunmurry Lane. The original 9-hole course was desig ...
* Eire Og Derriaghy


Transport

Dunmurry railway station, located on the main Belfast–Dublin railway line, opened on 12 August 1839. The local train service offers transport to Belfast, Lisburn,
Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
,
Newry Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
and Bangor. Dunmurry village is also regularly serviced by the
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
services: 9A to Conway via Lisburn Road & Finaghy Conway (River Road) and 9C to Conway via Lisburn Road, Balmoral & Finaghy, departing from Donegall Square East, in Central Belfast. Dunmurry Village is also serviced by Translink Ulsterbus Services to Lisburn, Crumlin, Antrim, Craigavon, Portadown, Newry and Armagh. The
M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
passes through Dunmurry, at Junction 3 (Black's Road) providing a fast route to and from central Belfast.


Notable people

*
Bobby Sands Robert Gerard Sands ( ga, Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh; 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member (and leader in the Maze prison) of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison M ...
, Irish Revolutionary, Hunger Striker and Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP * Barry Hobson (1925–2017), cricketer and educator *
Catherine McGuinness Catherine McGuinness (; born 14 November 1934) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2000 to 2006, a Judge of the High Court from 1996 to 2000, a Judge of the Circuit Court from 1994 to 1996 and a Senator ...
, Judge of the Irish Supreme Court *Allan McClelland (1917-2005), character actor (
West 11 ''West 11'' is a 1963 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and starring Alfred Lynch, Kathleen Breck, Eric Portman, Diana Dors, and Kathleen Harrison. It is based on ''The Furnished Room'' (1961), Laura Del-Rivo's debut novel, which ...
)


References


External links


Dunmurry's Past


{{County Antrim Townlands of County Antrim Wards of Northern Ireland Civil parish of Drumbeg