Cregagh is an area southeast of 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...

 in County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, 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...

. It is the name of a townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 and has been adopted as the name of an electoral ward of the Borough of Castlereagh. The area is centred on the Cregagh Road. The Woodstock/Cregagh Road is a continuous arterial route in the city, with the Woodstock making up the lower half of the route and the Cregagh the upper half. It runs from the Albertbridge Road, close to the Short Strand

Short Strand

The Short Strand is a mainly-nationalist area in east Belfast, surrounded by a mainly-unionist area. It is within the townland of Ballymacarret and sits on the east bank of the River Lagan in County Down.-Security issues:...

, to the A55 Outer Ring road.

Cregagh Estate

The Cregagh Estate is located off the Cregagh Road. Created as a public housing project in the late 1940s, it was designed by government architect T. F. O. Rippingham

T. F. O. Rippingham

Thomas Francis O. Rippingham was an English-born architect who spent most of his professional life in United Kingdom government service in Northern Ireland....

. Tenants have subsequently been offered the opportunity to purchase their homes. The estate is characterised by its uncommon flat roofs and staggered house fronts.

Road names

Some of the roads in Cregagh are named after World War II generals (e.g. Montgomery

Montgomery

-In France:* Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery, a commune in département Calvados, Normandy* Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery, idem* Colleville-Montgomery, idem-In Pakistan:...

, Alanbrooke) while a significant number are named after World War I battlefields (e.g. Picardy

Picardy

This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...

, Hamel

Hamel

Hamel may refer to:* Hamel, Western Australia, town* Hamel, Nord, a commune of the Nord département, in northern France* Beaumont-Hamel, a commune of the Somme département, in northern France...

). This connection with the wars reflects the numbers of people from the area who died in those wars. This was also a reason why the location was chosen for a large number of ex-servicemen's homes.

The streets in the Cregagh Estate are named after the rivers and streams of Ireland.

Sporting venues

Just off the Cregagh Road are two locally well-known sporting venues, Cregagh Cricket Club and Malone Rugby Club. While having separate facilities, they are situated on the same road, namely Gibson Park Avenue (also known locally as 'Daddy Winkers Lane'). Cregagh Cricket Club recently celebrated its centenary. Ravenhill Stadium

Ravenhill Stadium

Ravenhill Stadium is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is used by Ulster Rugby. It has a normal capacity of 12,300 and is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.-History:The grounds were opened in the 1923/24 season...

 the home of Ulster Rugby

Ulster Rugby

Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...

 lies a short distance away, about halfway between the Cregagh Road and the Ravenhill Road to the east.

Notable people

The late footballer George Best

George Best

George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...

grew up in the Cregagh Estate, and as a boy played football on the open playing fields at the centre of the estate. Best's funeral originated from Burren Way where his father still lived up until his death in April 2008.

Stuart Boyd, Accordionstu who has taught the very popular B Flat Flute to thousands of people over the internet using video sharing sites like Youtube and Vimeo, and is a promoter of Ulster Scots music, is from the Cregagh Estate.