Bushmills
Encyclopedia
Bushmills is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 on the north coast of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

. It is located 95 km from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, 10 km from Ballycastle
Ballycastle, County Antrim
Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....

 and 15 km from Coleraine
Coleraine
Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...

. The village owes its name to the River Bush
River Bush
The River Bush is a river in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The river's source is in the Antrim Hills at 480m. From there the river flows northwest, with a bend at the town of Armoy. It then flows west, passing through Stranocum, and then bends north, passing through Bushmills before reaching...

 and to a large watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...

 that was built there in the early 17th century.

Demographics

Bushmills is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,319 people living in Bushmills. Of these:
  • 19.9% were aged under 16 and 22.1% were aged 60 and over
  • 49.2% of the population were male and 50.8% were female
  • 8.1% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

Places of interest

The village is best known as the location of the Old Bushmills Distillery
Old Bushmills Distillery
The Old Bushmills Distillery is a distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is owned and operated by Diageo plc of London, England, and is a popular tourist attraction, with around 110,000 visitors per year...

, founded in 1608, which is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. The distillery's range includes the Bushmills Original and Black Bush blends and the 10, 12, 16, and 21 year old Bushmills Single Malts.

The Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills...

 is also located a short distance away, being located 2 miles (3 km) north of the town.

Controversy

In 1996 loyalist protesters staged a protest outside the local Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 chapel to show solidarity with their fellow loyalists in Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....

 protesting outside Harryville chapel as a result of an Orange Order parade being banned from Dunloy
Dunloy
Dunloy is a village and townland in the Borough of Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is between Ballymena and Ballymoney . It had a population of 1,071 people in the 2001 Census, a gain of 21 % since 1991.Dunloy's most striking building is the modern Roman Catholic church...

.

In 2011 a further loyalist protest occurred when the chairman of Moyle District council and former Sinn Fein
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

 politician Padraig McShane was due to open a new sports centre in Bushmills. Padraig McShane cancelled the event and alleged that paramilitaries were responsible for the protest, claiming that the Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....

 (PSNI) informed him that they had met with representatives of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...

 who had indicated they would halt the event.

Transport

Bushmills railway station opened on 28 January 1883, but finally closed on 1 October 1949.

Twin towns

Bushmills is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

External links

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