Conlig () is a village and

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 ...

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 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It is considered a suburb of Bangor.

Mining

The area includes extant ancient copper mines. Weapons forged with the copper from this mine have been found across Europe, and was traded for tin from

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mining in the area declined, though the site at Whitespots in the village subsequently became one of the most important sources for minerals in the United Kingdom during the 19th century. At this time, the mines were the largest such complex in Ireland, and produced around 13,500

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

between the late 17th century until the end of the 19th century, making it one of the major lead mines of the British Isles during that time. Production stopped in 1900, after a decline from 1854. The area contains the only known occurrence of the mineral

harmotome Harmotome is a mineral, one of the rarer zeolites; a hydrated barium silicate with formula: . It forms vitreous white well defined monoclinic crystals, often associated with calcite and other zeolites. It has a Mohs hardness of 4 to 5 and a speci ...

in Northern Ireland.Habitas (Ulster Museum Sciences Division) web site: Whitespots full report
/ref> Much of the area has been developed by the Department of Environment (DoE) as a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

, and the site can be accessed via the Somme Heritage Centre's car park. Whitespots has been designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) by the DoE in 1998.

Places of interest

* Somme Heritage Centre * Clandeboye Golf Club * Assisi Animal Sanctuary * Ark Farm (near the town of Conlig)

Notable people

Eddie Irvine Edmund "Eddie" Irvine Jr. (; born 10 November 1965) is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland, who competed Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom, under the British flag in Formula One from to . Irvine was runner-up in the Formula ...

; ex-

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racing driver was raised on the Green Road, which lies on the outskirts of Conlig Village. * Viscount Pirrie; who replaced Edward Harland as Chairman of

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

, was also raised in Conlig. Had he not become ill, he would have been on the

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

's doomed maiden voyage. * Cllr Ian Adamson OBE (born 1944); former

Lord Mayor of Belfast The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the city's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the U ...

, also grew up in Conlig, his family owned the village shop.

References

{{authority control Areas of Special Scientific Interest in Ards Borough Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1998 Villages in County Down Civil parish of Bangor Townlands of County Down