Dunloy
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Dunloy () is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located north of
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
and north-west is Ballymoney. It is located in the civil parish of
Finvoy Finvoy is a hamlet and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Kilconway. The hamlet had a population of 187 people (52 households) in the 2011 Census. The name derives from the Irish: ''An Fhion ...
, in the former
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of Kilconway. The village had a population of 1,194 people in the 2011 Census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th
Open Government Licence v3.0
© Crown copyright.


History

Dunloy lies in the ancient Irish district of "Killimorrie", which is now known as Killymurris.O'Laverty; ''An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern'', volume 4. Killymurris is claimed as being derived from the Irish ''Coill Ui Mhuireadhaigh'' meaning "the wood of Murry". An alternate origin given for Killymurris is that it derives from ''Choill Mhuiris'' meaning "the wood of Morris".Place Names NI
- Killymurris
Just south of Dunloy village, in the townland of Ballymacaldrack is "
Dooey's Cairn Dooey's Cairn, or Ballymacaldrack Court Tomb, is a prehistoric site of the Neolithic period, situated near Dunloy, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is named after Andrew Dooey, who owned the land; the monument was granted to the state in 19 ...
". This open
court tomb The court cairn or court tomb is a megalithic type of chambered cairn or gallery grave. During the period, 3900–3500 BCE, more than 390 court cairns were built in Ireland and over 100 in southwest Scotland. The Neolithic (New Stone Age ...
, named after the landowner, is located on the slopes of Long Mountain and overlooks the valley of the River Main. The earliest known activity within the tomb is estimated at around 4000BC. Also on Long Mountain is another court Tomb, known as Broadstone. See: List of megalithic monuments in Ireland In the same townland lies the ancient graveyard of Caldernagh.


Railways

Dunloy railway station Dunloy railway station served the village of Dunloy in County Antrim, 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 o ...
is currently closed on the Belfast-Derry railway line run by Northern Ireland Railways.


Recent history

Since 1996 residents have shown opposition to Loyal Order parades in Dunloy. Parades are currently prohibited from entering the centre of the village. Loyalists in nearby Ballymena counter-protested by holding weekly protests at a Catholic church situated in the predominantly loyalist Harryville area of Ballymena. These protests have since ended. There have been many attacks on the local
Orange Hall Orange Hall may refer to: ;in Ireland * Orange Institution The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protes ...
. On 12 July 2005, locals blocked the road in an attempt to stop the Orange Order from marching through the village.


The Troubles

On 11 July 1978, John Boyle, a 16-year-old civilian, was shot dead by
SAS SAS or Sas may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''SAS'' (novel series), a French book series by Gérard de Villiers * ''Shimmer and Shine'', an American animated children's television series * Southern All Stars, a Japanese rock ba ...
soldiers in a graveyard in the village. The previous day he had discovered an IRA arms cache under a fallen tombstone when he was visiting a family grave and reported the weapons to his father. His father then contacted the
Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
who, rather than removing the weapons, passed the information to the British Army, who placed SAS operatives at the site. The next day, Boyle returned to the graveyard (presumably out of curiosity to see if the weapons were still there). He was then shot dead by the British soldiers, who alleged he picked up a rifle and aimed it towards them; however a leaked RUC document confirmed that Boyle was shot in the back and his fingerprints were not on any of the recovered weapons. Two soldiers were put on trial for the killing, but both were acquitted and the Boyle family never received any form of apology from the security forces. On 21 February 1984, 26-year-old Sergeant Paul Oram, a member of the British Army (
14 Intelligence Company The Special Reconnaissance Unit, also known as the 14 Field Security and Intelligence Company (internally "The Det") was a part of the British Army Intelligence Corps involved in plainclothes operations in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwa ...
, parent regiment
9th/12th Royal Lancers The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1960 by the amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. In the later years of its existence, the regiment served as ...
), along with 18-year-old Declan Martin and 21-year-old Henry Hogan, both Catholic members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a gun battle between undercover British Army members and Provisional Irish Republican Army members in Dunloy.


Demography


2011 Census

Dunloy had a population of 1,194 people (381 households) in the 2011 Census. On Census day in 2011: * 98.91% were from the white (including Irish traveller)ethnic group; * 94.47% were from a Catholic community background and 4.19% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' community background; * 10.89% indicated that they had a British national identity, 59.13% indicated an Irish national identity and 29.82% indicated a Northern Irish identity.


References

*Draft Northern Area Plan 2016
Culture Northern Ireland


External links


Village standoff ends after talks
BBC News article {{authority control Villages in County Antrim Civil parish of Finvoy