Newtownabbey
Encyclopedia
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast
in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. Sometimes considered to be a suburb
of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill
and Fortwilliam golf course
. At the 2001 Census
, Newtownabbey Urban Area had a population of 62,056, making it the fourth largest settlement in Northern Ireland.
Largely a residential area the town is also home to many engineering and computer industries. Retail and leisure facilities include Abbey Centre, Northcott Shopping Centre and Glengormley Moviehouse. The main campus for the University of Ulster
is based in the Jordanstown area of Newtownabbey.
of Carnmoney. It was formed by the merging of seven village
s; Carnmoney
, Glengormley
, Jordanstown
, Monkstown
, Whiteabbey
, Whitehouse
and Whitewell. It was brought into being on 1 April 1958.
In 1973, Ballyclare
and its rural hinterland were added to the Newtownabbey Urban District Council to form the new Newtownabbey District Council
, which was later awarded the status of borough.
The government has proposed new council structures for all of Northern Ireland. As a result, Newtownabbey Borough Council will be subsumed into Inner East Council.
, which includes a list of incidents in Newtownabbey during The Troubles
resulting in two or more fatalities.
s that are within Newtownabbey's urban area, alongside their likely etymologies.
* citation for derivations
The following housing estates have Irish-derived names, although they are not named after townlands:
(Rostulla, Hawthorne, Jordanstown, Monkstown, Ballyduff, Carnmoney and Mossley)
(Ballyclare North, Ballyclare South, Ballyrobert, Doagh and Ballynure)
(Cloughfern, Coole, Dunanney, Valley, Abbey and Whitehouse)
(Mallusk, Colinbridge,Hightown, Ballyhenry, Burnthill, Glengormley and Glebe)
(BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 62,056 people living in Newtownabbey. Of these:
For more details see: Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Secondary-level education
Primary-level education
Football
Gaelic games
Hockey
Others
(which passes through it) and the M5 motorway
(which begins at its southeastern edge). It is also served by two railway stations: Jordanstown railway station
on the Belfast–Larne railway line and Whiteabbey railway station
on the Belfast–Derry railway line.
with: Rybnik
, Poland
(since 18.10.2003) Dorsten
, Germany
Newtownabbey has one sister city
, as designated by Sister Cities International
: Gilbert
, Arizona
, United States
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 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...
. Sometimes considered to be a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill
Cavehill
Cavehill, historically known as Ben Madigan , is a basaltic hill overlooking the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It forms part of the southeastern border of the Antrim Plateau. It is distinguished by its famous 'Napoleon's Nose', a basaltic outcrop which resembles the profile of the famous...
and Fortwilliam golf course
Fortwilliam Golf Club
Fortwilliam Golf Club is located on Downview Avenue in north Belfast. It consists of an 18-hole course with a par of 70. The course is bordered by Cavehill on one side and Belfast Lough on the other....
. At 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....
, Newtownabbey Urban Area had a population of 62,056, making it the fourth largest settlement in Northern Ireland.
Largely a residential area the town is also home to many engineering and computer industries. Retail and leisure facilities include Abbey Centre, Northcott Shopping Centre and Glengormley Moviehouse. The main campus for the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
is based in the Jordanstown area of Newtownabbey.
History
Newtownabbey Urban Area covers the former civil parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Carnmoney. It was formed by the merging of seven 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...
s; Carnmoney
Carnmoney
Carnmoney is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Carnmoney is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough. It lies 7 miles from Belfast city centre....
, Glengormley
Glengormley
Glengormley or Glengormly is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough.-Location:...
, Jordanstown
Jordanstown
Jordanstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough....
, Monkstown
Monkstown, County Antrim
Monkstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough. The townland was previously called Ballynamanagh...
, Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough...
, Whitehouse
Whitehouse
Whitehouse may refer to:People:* Ben Whitehouse, British Landscape painter* Frederick William Whitehouse, , an Australian geologist* Mary Whitehouse, , British christian morality campaigner* Morris H...
and Whitewell. It was brought into being on 1 April 1958.
In 1973, Ballyclare
Ballyclare
Ballyclare is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,770 people in the 2001 Census...
and its rural hinterland were added to the Newtownabbey Urban District Council to form the new Newtownabbey District Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Newtownabbey has a population of over 80,000 and is on the north shore of Belfast Lough just immediately north of Belfast. The Borough was founded in 1958 as a result of an Act of Parliament passed in 1957 and...
, which was later awarded the status of borough.
The government has proposed new council structures for all of Northern Ireland. As a result, Newtownabbey Borough Council will be subsumed into Inner East Council.
The Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in NewtownabbeyThe Troubles in Newtownabbey
The Troubles in Newtownabbey recounts incidents during and the effects of the Troubles in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.Incidents in Newtownabbey during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities:-1974:...
, which includes a list of incidents in Newtownabbey during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
resulting in two or more fatalities.
Geography
Townlands
Below is a list of townlandTownland
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...
s that are within Newtownabbey's urban area, alongside their likely etymologies.
- Ballybought *
- Ballyduff (historically Ballymacelduffe; from Baile Mhic Giolla Dhuibh meaning "MacElduff's townland")*
- Ballygolan (historically Ballingowlan; from Baile an Ghabhláin or Baile Gobhláin meaning "townland of the fork")*
- Ballyhenry (from Baile Enri meaning "Henry's townland")*
- Ballyvesey (from Baile Feasoighe meaning "Vesey's townland")*
- Ballywonard (from Baile Mhuine Ard meaning "townland of the high thicket")*
- CarnmoneyCarnmoneyCarnmoney is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Carnmoney is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough. It lies 7 miles from Belfast city centre....
(from Carn Monaidh meaning "cairnCairnCairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
of the bogBogA bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
")* - Collinward (from Coll an Bháird meaning "the bardBardIn medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
's hazel")* - Croghfern (historically Ballycurraghfarny; from Cruach Fearna meaning "stack of the alderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
" or Currach Fearnaí meaning "marsh of the place of alders")* - Drumnadrough (from Druimainn Dorcha meaning "dark ridge" or Druim na gCruach meaning "ridge of the stacks")
- Dunanney (from Dún Aine meaning "Aine's stronghold")*
- GlengormleyGlengormleyGlengormley or Glengormly is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough.-Location:...
(from Gleann Ghormlaithe meaning "blue-grey valley")* - JordanstownJordanstownJordanstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough....
(historically Ballyjordan and Ballyjurdan; from Baile Mhic Shiúrtáin meaning "MacShiúrtáin's townland") - Mallusk or Molusk (historically Moyvluske and Moyvliske; from Maigh Bhloisce meaning "Bloisce's plain")*
- MonkstownMonkstown, County AntrimMonkstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough. The townland was previously called Ballynamanagh...
(historically Ballynamanagh; from Baile na Manach meaning "townland of the monks") - WhiteabbeyWhiteabbeyWhiteabbey is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough...
- Whitehouse, part of which includes Merville Garden VillageMerville Garden VillageMerville Garden Village is a housing estate located at Shore Road, Whitehouse, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland created by structural and landscape architect Edward Prentice Mawson. It was completed in 1949.-Historical background:...
* citation for derivations
The following housing estates have Irish-derived names, although they are not named after townlands:
- Mossley (likely from Maslaí)
- RathcooleRathcoole (Belfast)Rathcoole is a housing estate in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was built in the 1950s to house many of those displaced by the demolition of inner city housing in Belfast city...
(likely from Ráth Cúile meaning "nook of the ringfortRingfortRingforts are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Iron Age , although some were built as late as the Early Middle Ages . They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland...
")
Electoral wards
- University
(Rostulla, Hawthorne, Jordanstown, Monkstown, Ballyduff, Carnmoney and Mossley)
- Ballyclare
(Ballyclare North, Ballyclare South, Ballyrobert, Doagh and Ballynure)
- Macedon
(Cloughfern, Coole, Dunanney, Valley, Abbey and Whitehouse)
- Antrim Line
(Mallusk, Colinbridge,Hightown, Ballyhenry, Burnthill, Glengormley and Glebe)
Demography
Newtownabbey Urban Area is classified as a large town (i.e. with population between 18,000 and 75,000 people) by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and is within the Belfast Metropolitan Urban AreaBelfast Metropolitan Area
The Belfast Metropolitan Area is a grouping of council areas which include commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a population of 579,276. The area was first officially classified as a Metropolitan area in the late 1990s when the Government began to prepare for a cohesive...
(BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 62,056 people living in Newtownabbey. Of these:
- 21.8% were aged under 16 years and 19.1% were aged 60 and over
- 48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female
- 19.4% were from a CatholicCatholicThe 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"...
background and 76.2% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
background. - 3.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
For more details see: Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Education
Higher-level education- University of UlsterUniversity of UlsterThe University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
at Jordanstown (UUJ) - Northern Regional CollegeNorthern Regional CollegeNorthern Regional College is a third-level educational institution in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The college has eight campuses around the north-east of Northern Ireland ; Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Felden, Larne, Magherafelt and Newtownabbey.- History :The college was set up...
(NRC)
Secondary-level education
- Belfast High SchoolBelfast High SchoolBelfast High School is a Voluntary Grammar School located at Jordanstown in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies within the North Eastern Education and Library Board area....
- Edmund Rice CollegeEdmund Rice CollegeEdmund Rice College is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in Glengormley, County Antrim. It is named after Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.- Subjects :...
- Glengormley High SchoolGlengormley High SchoolGlengormley High School is a secondary school in the town of Glengormley in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was opened in September 1971....
- Monkstown Community SchoolMonkstown Community SchoolMonkstown Community School is a mixed non-denominational secondary school in Monkstown, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.A two-week programme was set up to help overcome language difficulties.-Curriculum:Key Stage 3 Curriculum...
- Newtownabbey Community High SchoolNewtownabbey Community High SchoolNewtownabbey Community High School is a secondary school in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.Newtownabbey Community High School, founded in 1994, is a controlled, co-educational school providing secondary level education for girls and boys of all ability levels...
Primary-level education
- Abbots Cross Primary School
- Ashgrove Primary School
- Carnmoney Primary School
- EarlView Primary School
- Glengormley Integrated Primary School
- Hazelwood Integrated Primary School
- HillCroft Special Needs School
- Hollybank Primary School
- Jordanstown SchoolsJordanstown SchoolsJordanstown Schools is a school for deaf children and children with visual impairments, including blindness. It is based in Jordanstown, north of Belfast, Northern Ireland...
for the Deaf and Blind - Kings Park Primary School
- Mossley Primary School
- Rosstulla Special School
- St Bernard's Primary School
- St James’s Primary School
- St MacNissi's Primary School
- St Mary's on the Hill Primary School
- Thornfield House School
- Whiteabbey Primary School
- Whitehouse Primary SchoolWhitehouse Primary SchoolThe Whitehouse Primary School is a primary school in Newtownabbey. It was destroyed in an arson attack on 18 July 2009. After the school was destroyed, all its students were admitted into the Newtownabby High School...
Sport
CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- Academy Cricket Club
- Cliftonville Cricket ClubCliftonville Cricket ClubCliftonville Cricket Club is a cricket club in Northern Ireland, playing in Section 1 of the NCU Senior League.The club was formed as Enfield in 1870, using a pitch in Clifton Park, now Clifton Park Avenue in north Belfast, disbanded in 1873, and reformed in 1874. In 1880, the club adopted its...
Football
- Mossley Young Men F.C.Mossley Young Men F.C.Mossley Young Men, also known as Mossley Y.M., is a Northern Irish intermediate-level football club playing in Division 1C of the Northern Amateur Football League. Its home ground is the Glade in Mossley, Newtownabbey, County Antrim...
- Nortel F.C.Nortel F.C.Nortel F.C. is a Northern Irish football club, based in Monkstown, Newtownabbey and playing in the Premier Division of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club was formed as Standard Telephones & Cables in 1964 by workers in the company's factory in Monkstown. The name changed to Northern...
- U.U.J. F.C.U.U.J. F.C.University of Ulster at Jordanstown Football Club is a Northern Irish football club playing in Division 1A of the Northern Amateur Football League. It is affiliated to the University of Ulster and based at its Jordanstown campus....
Gaelic games
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
- St Enda's GAC
Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
- East Antrim Hockey ClubEast Antrim Hockey ClubEast Antrim Hockey Club is a men's field hockey club based in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 7 miles north of Belfast. It is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association and is one of the oldest clubs in Irish hockey. The club currently plays in Section 2 of...
- Mossley Hockey ClubMossley Hockey ClubMossley Hockey Club is a field hockey club for men based in the village of Mossley in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. It was formed in 1929 following a meeting of employees of Henry Campbell’s Mill in the village. The club currently fields six adult teams, with the first team plaing in the Premier...
Others
- Belfast International Sports Club
- Valley Ju-jitsu Club (WJJF)
Churches
- Abbey Presbyterian Church
- Monkstown Baptist Church
- Saint James’s Catholic Church
- St. Patrick's Church (Church of Ireland)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Whiteabbey Congregational Church
- Whiteabbey Methodist Church
- Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church
- The Church of the Good Shepherd (United Church of Ireland and Methodist)
- Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church
- St Mary's On The Hill Parish, of St Bernard's, St Mary's On The Hill and St Mac Nissi's (Catholic)
Transport
Newtownabbey is linked to the M2 motorwayM2 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M2 is a motorway in Belfast and County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is in two sections, the southern section running from north Belfast to Antrim and the northern section acts as a bypass of Ballymena, with the A26 road linking the two sections. In total it is 22 miles...
(which passes through it) and the M5 motorway
M5 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M5 is a spur motorway of 1.4 miles length in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It connects the M2 to the A2 Shore Road at Hazelbank in Newtownabbey...
(which begins at its southeastern edge). It is also served by two railway stations: Jordanstown railway station
Jordanstown railway station
Jordanstown railway station serves Jordanstown and the University of Ulster in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. Its station is due to get a new park and ride facility shortly in the hope it will ease congestion on the main Jordanstown Road....
on the Belfast–Larne railway line and Whiteabbey railway station
Whiteabbey railway station
Whiteabbey railway station serves Whiteabbey in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. The station opened on 11 April 1848. It is the first station outside Belfast on the Larne Line....
on the Belfast–Derry railway line.
Twin towns
Newtownabbey is twinnedTown 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: Rybnik
Rybnik
Rybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(since 18.10.2003) Dorsten
Dorsten
Dorsten is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of just below 80,000.Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its historical old town lies on the south bank of the river Lippe and the Wesel–Datteln...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Newtownabbey has one sister city
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 :...
, as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
: Gilbert
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...