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
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council.
History
On 2 December 2021, the councils chief ex ...
area of
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
,
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 ...
. It lies a short distance south of
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
, on the shore of
Larne Lough
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientif ...
. Glynn had a population of 2,027 people in the 2011 Census.
History
St. Patrick is said to have built the Church of Gluaire around 435 A.D. Within the town limits, the remnants of a historic stone church can still be found. The county of Antrim was once divided into the districts of North Clandeboye and Glynns (Glynnes). The region was a vicarage in the Diocese of Connor and the ecclesiastical province of Armagh, and it was a gift from
Marquess of Donegall
Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family, originally from Devon, England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons, Sir ...
.
The
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 ...
is then mentioned in a grant from
King James I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...
to Arthur Lord Chichester, Baron of
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 ...
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...
. This grant was dated 20 November 1620. In a later grant from King Charles II to Edward, Viscount Chichester, Glynn was mentioned as being part of the territory of Magheramorne.
Written information exists that details how Sir John Chichester, governor of Carrickfergus, was beheaded by James MacSorley MacDonnell at a site on the eastern edge of the village.
James MacDonnell and his men had made a feint on Carrickfergus town. They were then pursued to the glen of Altrackyn, some five miles (8 km) from Glynn. Sir John was captured and his men were nearly cut to pieces. Later in the day, Sir John was beheaded by James MacDonnell on a stone. It is documented that this event occurred in November 1597. A 'standing stone' still stands to this day, approximately one mile east of the village.
The lime factory and Ballylig were purchased by Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (now Blue Circle) in the early 20th century, and a large cement plant was erected near the quay. The factory grew to be a substantial employer in the surrounding area.
In the 1930s Glynn, was seen on the 'big screen' in the movie ''The Luck Of The Irish''. Many peasants were employed as extras in the film, which starred Hollywood actor Richard Hayward.
From the 1930s Glynn saw expansion with many of the thatched cottages being replaced by modern family housing. The first phase was approximately 100 houses and bungalows at Glenvale Park, built in the 1950s. Then, in the late 1960s, eighteen houses were built at Glenside. These were followed by more houses and bungalows at Hawthorne Grove in the 1970s. All these properties were built by the government for renting. Further housing developments have taken place in the 1980s at Glenavon and in the 1990s at Craiganboy. The latter two developments were built privately for sale. It is estimated that there are now approximately 350 occupied dwelling houses in Glynn (April 2004).
Glynn has seen new housing developments in the latter half of 2006, where several bungalows were built on the Glenburn Road and adjacent the Jubilee park behind Hawthorne Grove estate. A plot of field near to the Main Road was also purchased in December 2006 for a more than ample sum of £250, 000; no plans of layout for housing have been confirmed yet. The compound area at the foot of the Glynn Brae is also rumoured to undergo changes this year in becoming a future housing estate.
Places of interest
Out in Larne Lough lies Swan Island. There are actually two small islands, one of which has been a bird sanctuary for many years. The larger of the two islands measures approximately fifty yards in length by fifteen yards in width. It is covered in grass, shingle and sand. The smaller of the two islands can only be seen at low tide. In times gone by the larger island was called Pigeon Island and then Duck Island. It was let in the early 19th century for one guinea per annum to burn kelp.
According to the records from the 19th century; The large Swan Isle is said to contain the bodies of the crew of some foreign ships who died of some plague, while the ships were laid under quarantine in Larne Lough, and would not be permitted to enter the harbour. The smaller island was supposed to be where the bodies of the dead sailors were burnt before burial on the larger island.
Today Swan Island and the lough shore at Glynn draws ornithologists from near and far. Birdwatchers come to see birds like swans, gulls, terns, oystercatchers and sandpipers.
Landowners
In the 18th and 19th centuries the 'proprietors' within the wider parish were John Irving Esquire, M.P., who lived at Ballylig House, Magheramorne. John Irving owned lime kilns and wharfs at Magheramore and extensive lands and property in the area. His agent, Thomas Maxwell Esquire, J.P., lived in a plain but modern house, overlooking Larne Lough, approximately one mile north of Glynn. Ballylig House still stands and was better known a few years ago as Magheramorne House Hotel. More recently however, the house has been the Ireland Head Office for Forever Living Products (Ireland) Ltd. The former house of Thomas Maxwell also still stands and is privately owned.
Within Glynn village, Randall William Johnston Esquire was the owner of mills, public buildings, houses and land. Mr Johnston was a descendant of an officer in King William's army. Miss McClaverty rented of land and the houses from Mr Johnston and lived near him in old-fashioned three-s
Public transport
Glynn lies on a suburban rail route from
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 ...
to
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
. By train, journeys to and from Larne should take approximately five minutes. Journeys to and from Belfast should take approximately fifty minutes each way. Served by
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose paren ...
trains on the Larne Line. There is also a bus service between the village and Larne. Translink provides public transport in Northern Ireland. Train and bus timetables within the entire province can be viewed on the Translink website.
Glynn railway station
Glynn railway station serves Glynn in County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Ne ...
opened on 1 January 1864 and was closed for goods traffic in 1933.
Local tourism
Glynn lies within the
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council.
History
On 2 December 2021, the councils chief ex ...
area. Tourist facilities locally are provided by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Travelling by Sea
Larne is one of Northern Ireland's major sea ports and it is only a few minutes on the train to
Larne Harbour railway station
Larne Harbour railway station, Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, serves the ferry port for ferries to Cairnryan. There are also occasional sailings to Douglas, Isle of Man in conjunction with the Isle of Man TT. Sailings to Cairnryan are o ...
or drive from Glynn. It is used both for commercial freight and by holiday-makers. P&O Ferries, to and from Larne regularly travel between Cairnryan and
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O ope ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. More information can be gained on the Port of Larne by visiting their website.
School
There is a small
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
in the village. It stands approximately 200 metres from the former school building (an old village landmark—reappropriated for bungalow housing). The school comprises two main classrooms and an assembly hall situated within the main building. Additional classroom space has been provided by way of two external mobile classrooms pending an extension project. At present there are around 70 children in attendance; ranging from ages four to eleven.
Staff are seen to encourage pupil participation in a range of extracurricular activities including: football,
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
. A programme aimed at introducing children to
modern language
A modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead classical languages such a ...
s has proven successful in the past—helped by a visiting Spanish linguist.
The current headmistress is Miss Diane Hawthorne MEd, BEd (Hons), DASE.
Jubilee Park
In the summer of 2008 work began on the refurbishment of Jubilee Park. Time had taken its toll on the children's play area, opened in June 1977 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee, and it was in desperate need of a makeover. Local contractors came together to provide a modern, colourful and safe environment for the next generation of children to play in. The new park was finally completed and opened in early September 2008, coinciding with the beginning of the new school term.
2011 Census
Glynn is classified as a village by th NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people).
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 2,027 people living in Glynn. Of these:
*20.03% were aged under 16 and 16.28% were aged 65 and over
*50.81% of the population were male and 49.19% were female
*7.45% were from a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
background and 84.66% were from a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...