The townlands of Belfast are the oldest surviving land divisions 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. The city is split between two traditional

Counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

by the

River Lagan The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles (86 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...

, with those

townlands 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 ...

north of the river generally 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 Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, while those on the southern bank are generally part of

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. The following is a list of townlands within Belfast city (excluding the suburbs of

Newtownabbey Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement in North Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of severa ...

Holywood Holy Wood or Holywood may refer to: Places * Holywood, County Down, a town and townland in Northern Ireland ** Holywood, County Down (civil parish), a civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland ** Holywood railway station (Northern Ireland) * ...

and Dundonald) and their likely

etymologies Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...

County Antrim (north bank of the River Lagan)

*Ballyaghagan () *Ballycollin (from ''Baile Chollan'' meaning "townland of the height") *Ballycullo (from ''Baile Mhic Cú Uladh'' meaning "MacCullagh's townland") *Ballydownfine (from ''Baile Dhún Fionn'' meaning "townland of the white fort") *Ballyfinaghy (from ''Baile Fionnachaidh'' meaning "townland of the white field") *Ballygammon (formerly Ballyogoman, from ''Baile Ó gComáin'' meaning "O'Coman's townland") – site of Musgrave Park *Ballygomartin (from ''Baile Gharraí Mháirtín'', "townland of Martin's enclosed field") *Ballymagarry (formerly Ballingarry, from ''Baile an Gharraí'' meaning "townland of the enclosed field") *Ballymoney (formerly Ballymeighmoney, from ''Baile Maighe Muine'' meaning "townland of the plain of the thicket") * Ballymurphy (from ''Baile Uí Mhurchú'' meaning "Murphy's townland") *Ballysillan Lower (from ''Baile na Saileán'' meaning "townland of the willows") *

Derriaghy Derriaghy, (; also known as Derryaghy), (), is a townland (of 538 acres) and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, south-west of Belfast city centre. The townland is situated in the historic Barony (geograph ...

(from ''Doire Achaidh'' meaning "oak-grove of the field" / from ''Doire Eachadh'' meaning "Eochy's oak-grove") *

Dunmurry Dunmurry (; ) is an urban townland in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dunmurry is in the Collin electoral ward for the local government district of Belfast City Council. History Until the end of the 18th century, Dunmurry was largely an agricultura ...

(from ''Dún Muirígh'' meaning "Muiríoch's fort") *Edenderry (from ''Éadan Doire'' meaning "hill-brow of the oak-grove") *Englishtown (an English name) *Greencastle (an English name), formerly Cloghcastella (from ''Cloch Mhic Coisteala'' meaning "Costello's stone castle") *Killeaton (from ''Coill Eatain'' meaning "Eatan's wood") *Kilmakee (from ''Cill Mhic Aoidh'' meaning "MacKee's burial ground") *Lagmore (from ''Lag Mór'' meaning "the great hollow") *Legoniel or Ligoniel (from ''Lag an Aoil'' meaning "hollow of the limestone") *Low Wood (an English name), formerly Listollyard (from ''Lios Tulaí Airde'', "fort of the high hillock") *Malone Lower and Malone Upper (from ''Maigh Luain'' meaning "Luan's plain") *Old Park (an English name) *

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 ...

(from ''Poll Glas'' meaning "the green hollow") *Skegoneill (formerly Skeggan Earl, from ''Sceitheog an Iarla'' meaning "the earl's little thorn bush") *Tom of the Tae-End (a Scottish name, the term given to the skin a

haggis Haggis ( gd, taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now an a ...

is stuffed into, possibly named by a Scottish settler due to its size and shape)

County Down (south bank of the River Lagan)

*Ballycloghan (from ''Baile Clocháin'' meaning "townland of the stepping stones") *Ballydollaghan (from ''Baile Uí Dhúlacháin'' meaning "O'Dollaghan's townland") – site of Hydebank * Ballyhackamore (from ''Baile an Chacamair'' meaning "townland of the mud flat") *Ballyhanwood (from ''Baile Sheanóid'' meaning "Henwood's townland") *Ballylenaghan (from ''Baile Uí Leannacháin'' meaning "O'Lenaghan's townland") *Ballymacarret (from ''Baile Mhic Gearóid'' meaning "MacGarrett's townland") *Ballymaconaghy (from ''Baile Mhic Dhonnchaidh'' meaning "MacDonaghy's townland") *Ballymaghan (from ''Baile Uí Mhiacháin'' meaning "O'Meehan's townland") *Ballymisert (formerly Ballymagher, from ''Baile Machaire'' meaning "townland of the plain") – site of Ashfield school *Ballynafoy or Ballynafeigh (from ''Baile na Faiche'' meaning "townland of the lawn") – site of

Ormeau Park Ormeau Park is the oldest municipal park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, having been officially opened to the public in 1871. It is owned and run by Belfast City Council and is one of the largest and busiest parks in the city and contains a variet ...

*Ballynavally (formerly Ballyomulvally, from ''Baile Uí Mhaolbhallaigh'' meaning "O'Mulwally's townland") *Ballyrushboy (from ''Baile Rois Buí'' meaning "yellow townland of the wood") *Braniel (from ''Broinngheal'' meaning "white-fronted place") *Breda (from ''Bréadach'' meaning "broken/fragmented land") – site of Belvoir Park *Carnamuck (from ''Ceathrú na Muc'' meaning "quarterland of the pigs") * Castlereagh (from ''Caisleán Riabhach'' meaning "grey castle") – former site of Castle

Clannaboy Clandeboye or Clannaboy (from Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin, Northern Ireland. The entity w ...

*Cregagh (from ''Creagaigh'' meaning "rocky place") *Galwally (from ''Gallbhaile'' meaning "foreigners' townland") *Gilnahirk (formerly ''Edengillnahirk'', from ''Éadan Ghiolla na hAdhairce'' meaning "hill-brow of the horn bearer") *Gortgrib (from ''Gort Cirb'', "field of the trenches") – site of

Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock, known locally as Knock or OLSPCK, is a Catholic diocesan grammar school in Knock in the east of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The school, with an expanding enrolment, announced in late 2019 it anticipat ...

*Killeen (from ''An Coillín'' meaning "the little wood") *Knock (formerly Knock Columkill, from ''Cnoc Cholm Cille'', "

Colm Cille Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

's hill") *Knockbreckan (from ''Cnoc Bhreacáin'' meaning "Breacán's hill") *Knocknagoney (from ''Cnoc na gCoiníní'' meaning "hill of the rabbits") *Lisnasharragh (from ''Lios na Searrach'' meaning "ringfort of the foals") *Multyhogy (from ''Muilte Sheoigigh'' meaning "Joy's mills") * Strandtown (an English name), formerly Ballimachoris (from ''Baile Mhic Fheorais'', "McCorish's townland") *Tullycarnet (formerly Tullycarnan, from ''Tulaigh Charnáin'' meaning "hillock of the little cairn")

References

Ordnance Survey Ireland – Online map viewer
(choose 'historic' to see townland boundaries)
Placenames NI
{{County Down Belfast Townlands Geography of Belfast

List, Belfast

Townlands 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 ...

County Antrim (north bank of the River Lagan)

County Down (south bank of the River Lagan)

See also

References