
Gilford is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in
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 ...
. The village sits on the
River Bann between the towns of
Banbridge
Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...
,
Tandragee
Tandragee () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is on a hillside above the Cusher River, and is overlooked by Tandragee Castle. The town is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Ballymore, County Armagh, Ballymore and t ...
and
Portadown
Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...
. It covers the
townlands
A townland (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Outer Hebrides, Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Middle Ages, medieval Gael ...
of
Loughans, Ballymacanallen and Drumaran. It had a population of 1,933 people in the
2011 census. Gilford is within the
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon
district.
History
Following 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 ...
, Captain John Magill acquired land in the parish of
Tullylish and founded Gilford, the name of the village being derived from "Magill’s ford".
He afterwards became Sir John Magill and built Gill Hall in
Dromore, County Down.
The Magill lands passed by marriage to the Meade family, who were made Barons Gillford in 1766 and later
earls of Clanwilliam. In the 19th century, Gilford grew and its population swelled when a
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
mill was built. Many mill houses can still be found in the village. When the mill shut in 1986, the village waned. Recently though, the village has started to recover and new shops have opened. At the edge of the village is Gilford Castle, a
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
built in 1865
to the designs of architect
William Spence.
Tanderagee and Gilford railway station was opened in 1852 to serve the villages closing in 1965.
Education
There are two schools in the area: Gilford Primary School and St John's Primary School. The schools are within the
Southern Education and Library Board area.
There is a nursery located in Gilford Primary School.
Sport
The local GAA club serving Gilford is Tullylish GAC, with its home ground, Páirc na nÓg. Tullylish GAC represents the broader Tullylish area, including the communities of Gilford, Tullylish, Clare, and Laurencetown. The club actively competes in the County Down Leagues and offers a comprehensive structure for Gaelic football, with teams available from under 6 to senior levels. For hurling and camogie, Aghaderg Gaelic Athletic & Ballyvarley Hurling Club serves as the nearest club that offers those codes, and is located approximately three miles from Gilford.
Gilford Boxing Club has produced a number of All-Ireland winners. It is situated in the old church hall beside Gilford chapel.
Gilford Crusaders Football Club play in Division 3 of the Mid-Ulster Football League.
Millpark Cricket Club was a cricket club in Gilford, County Down, that last played in Section 2 of the NCU Senior League. The club, originally based at Millpark, an area located between Gilford and Banbridge, moved the short distance to its second and final home Banford Green, in 1969.
In 2017, the club merged with Donaghcloney Cricket Club under the name Donaghcloney Mill Cricket Club
Demography
Gilford is classified as a village by the
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA, ) is an executive agency within the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publicat ...
(NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On census day 2001 (29 April 2001) there were 1,573 people living in Gilford. Of these:
*22.7% were aged under 16 and 14.6% were aged 60 and over
*50.2% of the population were male and 49.8% were female
*51.0% were from a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
background and 47.0% were from a
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 ...
background
*3.8% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
People
*
Charlie Gallogly (1919–1993) was a professional
footballer in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
*
Jude Hill (b. 2010), child actor known for his lead role in
Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...
's film ''
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
'' (2021).
References
{{authority control
Villages in County Down
Civil parish of Tullylish