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Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the
2021 United Kingdom census 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, Numeral (linguistics), numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest Positive number, positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in o ...
, making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland by population. It is part of the Borough of
Mid and East Antrim Mid and East Antrim is a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the Borough of Ballymena, the Borough of Larne and the Borough of Carrickfergus. The local authority is Mid and East A ...
. The town was built on the
Braid River The Braid River ( Irish: ''Abhainn na Brád'') is a river in the borough of Mid and East Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is a tributary to the River Main. Historically, the valley in which the river flows divided the boundaries betwee ...
, on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a Saturday market in perpetuity. Surrounding villages are
Cullybackey Cullybackey or Cullybacky () is a large village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 3 miles north-west of Ballymena, on the banks of the River Main, and is part of Mid and East Antrim district. It had a population of 2,569 people in th ...
,
Ahoghill Ahoghill ( or ; ) is a large village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, four miles from Ballymena. It is located in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. It had a population of 3,417 people at the 2011 census. In ear ...
,
Broughshane Broughshane ( , formerly spelt Brughshane, ) is a large village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is northeast of Ballymena and north of Antrim, on the A42 road. It is part of Mid and East Antrim District Council and had a population of ...
, and Kells-Connor.


History


Early history

The recorded history of the Ballymena area dates to the Early Christian period, from the fifth to the seventh centuries.
Ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...
s are found in the
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Ballykeel, and a site known as Camphill Fort in the townland of Ballee may also have been of this type. There are a number of
souterrain ''Souterrain'' (from French ', meaning "subterrain", is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age. These structures appear to have been brought northwards from Gaul d ...
s within a radius of the centre of Ballymena. north in the townland of Kirkinriola, the medieval parish church and graveyard show signs of Early Christian settlement, including a souterrain. Also in 1868, a gravedigger found a large stone slab on which was carved a cross with the inscription ''ord do degen''. This refers to Bishop Degen, who lived in Ireland during the seventh century. This stone is now in the porch of St Patrick's Church of Ireland, at the end of Castle Street. At the end of the fifth century, a church was founded in Connor, south of Ballymena. This was followed by a monastery at Templemoyle, Kells. In 831,
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
invaded the area and burned the church. In the late 12th century, the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland and conquered much of what is now eastern Ulster, creating the
Earldom of Ulster The Earldom of Ulster was an Anglo-Norman lordship in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages, ruled by the Earls of Ulster and part of the Lordship of Ireland. The Norman knight John de Courcy invaded the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid ...
. They built a
motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...
fort in what is now the Harryville area of Ballymena. It is one of the best-surviving examples of this type of fortification in Northern Ireland. In 1315,
Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (Norman French: ; ; Modern Scottish Gaelic: or ; 1280 – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 struggle for the Scottish cro ...
(brother of Scottish king
Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
) invaded the Earldom of Ulster, opening up another front in the war against the English. On 10 September 1315, at the
Battle of Connor The Battle of Connor was fought on 10 September 1315, in the townland of Tannybrake just over a mile north of what is now the modern village of Connor, County Antrim. It was part of the Bruce campaign in Ireland. Background Edward Bruce lan ...
, near Ballymena, Edward's army defeated the army of Richard de Burgh, the Anglo-Norman
Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's el ...
.


Early modern era

On 10 May 1607, during the
Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...
, King James I of England granted the native Irish chief, Ruairí Óg MacQuillan, the Ballymena Estate. The estate passed through several owners, eventually passing into the possession of William Adair, a Scottish
laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...
from Kinhilt in southwestern Scotland. The estate was temporarily renamed "Kinhilstown" after Adair's lands in Scotland. The original castle of Ballymena was built in the early 17th century, situated to take advantage of an ancient ford on the River Braid. In 1626
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
confirmed the grant of the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, giving him the right to hold a market at Ballymena every Saturday. He hired local Irish as workers on the estate; they served as tenant farmers for much of the next two centuries and more. Galgorm nearby was granted to Sir Faithful Fortescue. In 1618 he built the Castle, which still exists. During the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
, the local Ballymena garrison were defeated by Irish rebels in the battle of Bundooragh. Ballymena's first market hall was built in 1684. In 1710, during moving of the casements from the General Horde, it was found that several books belonging to the Duke of First Parish were left among the casements. These books were returned to the church in agreement with the terms set forth by the Duke. In 1690, during the Williamite-Jacobite War, Williamite general the Duke of
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
used Galgorm Castle as his headquarters. Sir Robert Adair raised a Regiment of Foot for
King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...
and fought at the
Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
. By 1704, the population of Ballymena had reached 800. In 1707, the first
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
(
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
) parish church was built. In 1740, the original Ballymena Castle burned down. The
Gracehill Gracehill is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies about 1.9 miles from Ballymena and is in the townland of Ballykennedy (from ). It is part of the Borough of Mid & East Antrim. The village is unique in Ireland as a Moravian ...
Moravian settlement was founded in 1765. During the
1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The main organising force ...
, Ballymena was occupied from 7 to 9 June by a force of around 10,000
United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...
. They stormed the market hall, killing three of its defenders. The first modern
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Church in Ballymena was consecrated in 1827. By 1834 the population of Ballymena was about 4,000. In 1848 the Belfast and Ballymena Railway was established. In 1865 Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (later Baron Waveney) started building Ballymena Castle, a magnificent family residence, in the Demesne. The castle was not completed until 1887. In 1870 The People's Park was established.


20th century

In 1900, Ballymena assumed urban district status. Under the provisions of the
Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 The Land Acts (officially Land Law (Ireland) Acts) were a series of measures to deal with the question of tenancy contracts and peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by ...
, the Adairs disposed of most of their Ballymena estate to the occupying tenants in 1904. The old market hall building, which also contained the post office and estate office, burned down in 1919. The new
Ballymena Town Hall Ballymena Town Hall is a municipal structure in Bridge Street in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, is a Grade B1 listed building. History The first munic ...
was officially opened by the
Duke of Abercorn The title Duke of Abercorn () is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and t ...
on 20 November 1928. The Urban District Council petitioned for borough status and the Charter was granted in December 1937. The first meeting of councillors as a Borough Council was held on 23 May 1939. The population of Ballymena reached 13,000. Ballymena Castle was demolished in the 1950s. In 1973, the Urban and Rural District Councils were merged to create
Ballymena Borough Council Ballymena Borough Council was the local authority of Ballymena (borough), Ballymena in Northern Ireland. It merged with Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Irelan ...
. Following local government reorganisation in 2015, the Borough Council was merged with the Boroughs of
Carrickfergus Borough Council Carrickfergus Borough Council was a district council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid a ...
and
Larne Borough Council Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council in May 2015 under the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland to become Mid a ...
. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Ballymena was home to a large number of evacuees from
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
. They were housed with local families. In the 1950s St Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena was the Regimental Training Depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th). Many young men who had been conscripted on the United Kingdom mainland, along with others who had volunteered for service in the British Army, embarked upon their period of basic training in the Regimental Depot, prior to being posted to the regular regimental battalions. Many of these young men were to serve in Korea, Cyprus and with the British Army of the Rhine. In 1968 due to a series of government austerity measures, the remaining three Irish regiments,
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th (Ma ...
(27th) Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th) and the Royal Irish Fusiliers (89th) merged to become the Royal Irish Rangers. Early in the 1990s the Royal Irish Regiment, whose Regimental Headquarters was at St Patrick's Barracks, was granted the Freedom of the Borough. Like other towns in Northern Ireland, Ballymena was affected by the Troubles, a lengthy period of religious and partisan tensions and armed confrontations from the 1960s until 1998. A total of eleven people were killed in or near the town by the IRA and various
loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
groups. During the later half of the 20th century, Ballymena, like many other once prosperous industrial centres in Northern Ireland, experienced economic change and industrial restructuring; many of its former factories closed. Since the 2010s Ballymena has seen a decline in its retail and manufacturing sectors. Both
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
and JTI have left the area. Local firm
Wrightbus Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamf ...
is also struggling, citing a downturn in orders. It is hoped that the creation of a manufacturing hub at the former Michelin site will attract businesses to the area.


21st century

In March 2000, the actor
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...
, a native of Ballymena, was offered the freedom of the borough by the council, which approved the action by a 12–9 vote. Neeson declined the award, citing tensions, and affirmed he was proud of his connection to the town.
Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...
was made a freeman of Ballymena in December 2004. Ballymena is described by some observers as being at the heart of Northern Ireland's equivalent of the
Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...
. It has a Protestant majority. In the early 1990s the
Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...
(DUP)-dominated town council banned a performance by the
ELO Part II The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) Part II was a British-American rock band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt, and violinist Mik Kami ...
in the township, saying they would attract "the four Ds Drink, Drugs, Devil and Debauchery". The Council banned the screening of ''
Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from Brokeback Mountain (short story), the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay ...
'' (2005), starring
Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( , ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi ...
and
Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...
, as it featured a homosexual relationship. An impersonator of comic
Roy 'Chubby' Brown Royston Vasey (born 3 February 1945), better known professionally as Roy Chubby Brown, is an English comedian. His act consists of offensive humour, high profanity and outspoken disdain for political correctness. Early life Roy Chubby Brown ...
was also banned. The majority of the town's Catholic population is situated around the Broughshane and Cushendall Road areas. Recently there has been tension in the Dunclug area of the town which now has a Catholic majority. These tensions have been associated with internment bonfires and the flying of republican flags; the town has tried to reduce tensions. In 2011 it was revealed that Ballymena has the third-highest level of legal gun ownership in Northern Ireland. Ballymena competed for
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, ci ...
as part of the
Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours As part of the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II awarded a number of civic honours, most notably the creation of new cities in a competition. Another competition for lord mayor or lord provost status was held. It was announced on 8 June 2021 ...
. However, the bid was unsuccessful. In June 2025, Ballymena was the scene of an alleged attempted sexual assault by two 14-year-old boys which triggered heavy rioting that lasted for several days. The police alleged the riots were racially motivated.


Economy

Ballymena was traditionally a market town. The 1980s were a time of job losses in Ballymena as industry suffered and this reoccurred in the 2010s. Notable employers were
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
in Broughshane, JTI Gallaher in Galgorm, and
Wrightbus Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamf ...
. In November 2012, the Patton Group, a major builder entered administration with the loss of 320 jobs. In October 2014, it was announced that JTI Gallaher's would be closing with a loss of 877 jobs. In November 2015, Michelin decided to close their Ballymena factory after 50 years, resulting in the loss of up to 850 jobs.


Demographics


2021 census

On census day (21 March 2021) there were 31,205 people living in Ballymena. Of these: * 51.6% of the usually resident population were female, and 48.4% were male. * 59.53% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)', 27.44% belong to or were brought up 'Catholic', 1.06% belong to or were brought up in an 'other religion' and 11.97% did not belong to or were not brought up in any religion. * 55.98% indicated that they had a British national identity, 31.28% had a Northern Irish national identity, 12.31% had an Irish national identity, and 16.19% indicated an 'other' national identity. (respondents could indicate more than one national identity). * 17.74% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 6.18% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).


2011 census

On census day (27 March 2011) there were 29,551 people living in Ballymena, accounting for 1.63% of the NI total, representing an increase of 2.9% on the 2001 census population of 28,717. Of these: * 19.20% were aged under 16 years and 17.61% were aged 65 and over. * 52.00% of the usually resident population were female 48.00% were male. * 65.76% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)' and 26.71% belong to or were brought up Catholic Christian. * 65.51% indicated that they had a British national identity, 27.66% had a Northern Irish national identity and 11.25% had an Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity). * 39 years was the average (median) age of the population. * 17.67% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 5.66% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).


Education

There are a number of educational establishments in the town. These include: * Primary schools ** Ballymena Primary School ** Braidside Integrated Primary School ** Dunclug Primary School ** St. Brigid's Primary School ** St. Colmcille's Primary School * Secondary schools **
Ballymena Academy Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender, voluntary Grammar schools in the United Kingdom, grammar school in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1828 as a small provincial school for children in the tow ...
**
Cambridge House Grammar School Cambridge House Grammar School is a mixed grammar school in the County Antrim town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, within the North Eastern Education and Library Board, North Eastern Region of the Education Authority. General The school is loc ...
** Dunclug College ** Slemish College ** St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena ** St Patrick's College, Ballymena * Further and Higher Education **
Northern Regional College Northern Regional College (or NRC) is a third level educational institution in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The college has five campuses around the north-east of Northern Ireland (County Antrim and eastern County Londonderry): Ballymena ...


Transport

Ballymena railway station opened on 4 December 1855. A station was opened at Harryville on 24 August 1878, but closed on 3 June 1940. The Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway operated
narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
services from Ballymena to Parkmore from 1875 to 1940. The Ballymena and Larne Railway was another narrow gauge railway. The line opened in 1878, but closed to passengers in 1933 and to goods traffic in 1940. Between 1878 and 1880 the line terminated at Harryville, but was then extended to the town's main railway station.


Sport

Association football clubs in the area include Ballymena United F.C., Coaching For Christ, Southside Rangers F.C. and Wakehurst F.C.
Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in 2024–25 All-Ireland League (rugby union)#Division 2A, Division 2A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. It is ...
is a local
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club.
All Saints GAC All Saints Gaelic Athletic Club () is the only Gaelic Athletic Association club in the town of Ballymena, County Antrim. The club is a member of the South-West Antrim division of Antrim GAA, and competes in Gaelic football, hurling, Ladies Gae ...
is the only
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
club in the town. Ballymena Golf Club was founded in 1903. Other Ballymena sports clubs include Ballymena Cricket Club, Ballymena Lawn Tennis Club and Ballymena Bowling Club.


Townlands

Townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
s are traditional land divisions used in Ireland. Ballymena covers all or part of the following townlands: *Ballee () *Ballycreggy (from ''Baile na Creige'', 'townland of the rock/rocky land') *Ballykeel (from ''An Baile Caol'', 'the narrow townland/farmstead') *Ballyloughan (from ''Baile Locháin'', 'townland of the little lake') *Bottom *Brocklamont (historically Broghnamolt, from ''Bruach na Molt'', 'bank of the wethers') *Carniny (probably from ''Carn Fhainche'', 'Fainche's
cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
') *Dunclug (from ''Dún Cloig'', 'fort of the bell') *Galgorm (from ''Gall Gorm'', 'blue castle', referring to a castle of the McQuillans which was burnt down in 1641) *Town Parks of Ballymena (from ''An Baile Meánach'', 'the middle townland/farmstead')


Climate


Notable people


Arts and media

*
Ethna Carbery Ethna Carbery, born Anna Bella Johnston, (3 December 1864 – 2 April 1902) was an Ireland, Irish journalist, writer and poet. She is best known for the ballad ''Roddy McCorley'' and the ''Song of Ciabhán''; the latter was set to music by Ivor G ...
, journalist, writer, poet, founding member of
Inghinidhe na hÉireann Inghinidhe na hÉireann (; "Daughters of Ireland") was a radical Irish nationalist women's organisation led and founded by Maud Gonne from 1900 to 1914, when it merged with the new (The Irishwomen's Council). Patriotic Children's Treat The Ing ...
* Ian Cochrane, novelist * Graham Forsythe, artist *
Jackie Fullerton John Alexander Fullerton,
Belfast Telegraph: 15 May 2003; accessed 19 Jan ...
,
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
sports broadcaster * Joanne Hogg, singer * Ronald Mason, BBC executive * David McWilliams, singer-songwriter * George Millar, singer *
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...
, actor *
James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994). ...
, actor *
Clodagh Rodgers Clodagh Rodgers (5 March 1947 – 18 April 2025) was a Northern Irish singer, best known for her hit singles including " Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight" and "Jack in the Box" and albums including '' You Are My Music'', ''It's Diff ...
, pop singer


Politics

*
Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...
, human rights activist and Irish nationalist *
James McHenry James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816) was an Irish American military surgeon, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. McHenry was a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland, initiated the recommendation ...
, signatory of the
United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
* Wauhope Lynn (1856–1920), lawyer, judge, and politician *
Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...
, the former
First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
and founder of the Free Presbyterian Church *
Richard Seymour Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. He played college football for ...
, writer and activist *
Derrick White Derrick Richard White (born July 2, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Buffalo," White played three years of college basketball in Division ...
, writer


Academia and science

* Professor Darwin Caldwell, robotics expert * Sir Samuel Curran, physicist, * Alexander Carlisle, ship designer


Religion

* Alexander Campbell, leader in the
Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1 ...
in the United States * James McKeown, missionary in the Gold Coast (now Ghana)


Military

* Alexander Wright, a
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient d


Business

*
Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was a Northern Irish-Canadian businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, ...
, founder of
Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's g ...
department store


Sport

*
Steven Davis Steven Davis (born 1 January 1985) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made his full international debut in 2005 and made 140 appearances at senior level, scoring 13 goals, to become the most cappe ...
, Rangers F.C. and Northern Ireland International footballer * Jamie Hamilton, motorcycle racer *
Trai Hume Trai Hume (born 18 March 2002) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a full-back for club Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national football team. He previously played in the Irish Premiership for Linfield and Ballymena ...
,
Sunderland AFC Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 187 ...
and Northern Ireland International footballer * David Humphreys, Ulster and Ireland rugby union player *
Ian Humphreys Ian Humphreys (born 24 April 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a retired Irish rugby union footballer, who played at fly-half for the Pro12 team Ulster Rugby and English sides Leicester Tigers and London Irish. He joined Ulster in 2008 from ...
, Ulster and Ireland rugby union player * Eamonn Loughran, former world welterweight champion boxer * Matt McCullough, Ulster and Ireland rugby player *
Tom McKinney Thomas McKinney (31 December 1926 – 10 November 1999) was a Northern Irish rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Jed-Forest RFC, and representative le ...
, Great Britain rugby league footballer * Sharon McPeake, high jumper *
Syd Millar Sydney Millar (23 May 1934 – 10 December 2023) was a Northern Irish rugby union prop who played for Ballymena RFC and Ulster and international rugby for Ireland and the British Lions. After retiring from playing rugby he became a rugby coa ...
, Ireland rugby union player and former chairman of the IRB * Colin Murdock,
Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
and former Northern Ireland international footballer * Mary Peters, Olympic pentathlon gold medalist * Jamie Smith, rugby union player *
Nigel Worthington Nigel Worthington (born 4 November 1961) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of York City. He played a defender and a midfielder, playing his club football for Ballymena United, Notts County ...
, footballer, international team manager * Bryan Young, Ulster and Ireland international rugby union player


International relations


Twin towns

*
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
*
Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
, Ireland


See also

*
Market houses in Northern Ireland Market houses are a notable feature of several Northern Ireland towns. While these market houses vary in styles of architecture, size and ornamentation, many were designed with three, four or even five bays on the ground floor which were an open a ...
*
List of localities in Northern Ireland by population This is a list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population, based on data published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), from the 2021 Census. Settlement classification NISRA's classification of settlements is a ...
* Slemish Mountain


References


Other sources

*"Battle Over Ballymena's Heroes." (8 March 2000). ''Belfast News Letter'', p. 1. *Judd, Terri. (9 March 2000). "Old hatreds Flare Over Neeson Freedom Award." ''The Independent'' (London), p. 7. *Watson-Smyth, Kate. (23 March 2000). "Row Over Religion Sours Ballymena's Award to Actor." ''The Independent'' (London), p. 12.
Ballymena on the ''Culture Northern Ireland'' website.
*Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Antrim V111, Vol 23, 1831–5,1837–8. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queens University Belfast.


External links

*
Ballymena Directory for 1910BBC crime figures for Ballymena
{{Authority control Planned communities in Northern Ireland