Ormeau Road
Encyclopedia
The Ormeau Road is a road in south Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. Ormeau Park
is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24
.
, a road was first built in 1815, when it was known more commonly as the New Ballynafeigh Road before eventually taking on the name of the Ormeau Park
. The road, although already well known as one of the key southern arterial routes into Belfast gained some small extra measure of notoriety because of the tensions regarding the Orange Order's attempts to march there on the Twelfth
.
. The area is based around Cromac Street and the historic St George's Market
. The area was substantially redeveloped in the 1980s and more money has been earmarked for further regeneration.
A working-class nationalist
area, it was something of a stronghold for the Official Irish Republican Army, with leading figures such as Joe McCann
active in the area. McCann's killing in 1972 weakened the movement as a whole and saw the area become more open to the Provisional Irish Republican Army
and Irish National Liberation Army
. Four members of the INLA have their deaths commemorated in a plaque in the area.
The area's proximity to the city's defunct music hall
s led to a number of performers staying temporary lodgings in the area's Joy Street, with Charlie Chaplin
and Laurel & Hardy amongst the leading names to have lodged there.
The area was also the birthplace of snooker
star Joe Swail
and home to Belfast 'hard man' Silver McKee. Jackie Wright
, famous as Benny Hill
's sidekick came from Joy Street.
and now includes a number of office buildings for companies such as Halifax
The Gasworks is also home to the Radisson Blu Hotel Belfast.
interface between the republican
areas of the Markets and the Lower Ormeau. It leads on to the Donegall Road
. In the years since 2004 "the Pass" has seen instances of racism
rise as Chinese
and Polish
communities have become established in the area. Combating this growth has been one of the areas of concern of the Donegall Pass Community Forum, founded in 1996.
, Havelock House
, have been situated between Donegall Pass and the Lower Ormeau since the station first went on air in October 1959.
The headquarters of Belfast CityBeat
are situated very close to Havelock House, just over the Havelock Bridge (which crosses the main Belfast to Dublin railway line which runs under the Ormeau Road).
constituency offices of both Sinn Féin
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP) who hold the South Belfast seat at Westminster.
The area suffered a number of attacks during the Troubles
when both Protestant and Catholic working-classes were killed. On 2 May 1974, six Catholic civilians were killed and 18 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force
(UVF) exploded a bomb at the Rose and Crown pub. Two gunmen attacked Sean Graham's bookmakers on 5 February 1992, killing four men and a fifteen-year-old boy in the shop. The attack was claimed by the "Ulster Freedom Fighters", a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA). Popular opinion in the area blamed Joe Bratty
and Raymond Elder, two leading UDA members from the nearby Annadale Flats, although it has since been claimed that, whilst Bratty and Elder were involved in planning the massacre, the gunmen were actually brought in from east Belfast. Bratty and Elder were both killed by the Provisional IRA on the Ormeau Road on 31 July 1994. The Upper Ormeau UDA was also responsible for the murder of Theresa Clinton, a housewife who lived on Balfour Avenue during the same period. Bratty and Elder were widely suspected of involvement and their killing by the IRA led to celebrations amongst ordinary Catholics in the area. The gang, which they led, were responsible for a numerous murders in the area.
The area was the scene of controversy due to the parade by bands from Ballynafeigh Orange Lodge over the Ormeau Bridge and through the area. As well as the general opposition of the community to the parades, claims were also made that members of the lodge had demonstrated triumphalism over the murder of five men in Sean Graham's bookmakers by the UDA. In 1996, the dispute spilled over into conflict between the Lower Ormeau Residents' Action Group and the Royal Ulster Constabulary
after widespread rioting led the police to effectively seal off the area for two days. The Parades Commission
initially supported the marchers in the dispute although since 1999 parades have been banned from the area, even leading to the Orange Order briefly using the Ormeau Park as its meeting place instead of Edenderry.
Until 1999, the North of Ireland Cricket and Football Club
's home stadium – one of the earliest international rugby venues in Ireland - was in the area, although, following a series of perceived sectarian arson attacks, the club's merger into the Belfast Harlequins
has seen the demolition of the stadium, which has been redeveloped as housing, known as Lavinia Square and Mews.
The Holyland
, an area mainly inhabited by students from Queen's University Belfast, faces this area on the western side of the road.
. Work began on the bridge in 1815 and was completed by 1818 or 1822. The bridge was demolished as unusable however and was not fully rebuilt until 1863. The Lagan forms the boundary between County Antrim
, encompassing the inner-city districts, and County Down
, lying to the south-east.
. Outside the Park a cycle path
has been added to the road.
The park has been used for Orange gatherings on the Twelfth as well as other open air events such as revival meeting
s. It was also the scene of the first meeting of the Ulster Vanguard on 18 March 1972 when William Craig called on his followers to attend following his decision to leave the Ulster Unionist Party
. Joined by 100,000 followers Craig made a controversial speech in which he stated that "we must build up a dossier of the men and women who are a menace to this country because if and when the politicians fail us, it may be our job to liquidate the enemy".
The park was considered as an alternative venue for a new multi-purpose sports stadium, although First Minister
Ian Paisley
vetoed the plans.
. The company celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2002 but was then bought out by Mother's Pride
, leading to a closing of the site. The bakery has been redeveloped as upmarket, luxury apartments with roof gardens and other decorative touches according to designs by Diarmuid Gavin
.
The Ormeau Bakery is situated between the loyalist Annadale housing estate and the middle class area around Park Road, North Parade and South Parade. Cooke Centenary Church, a Presbyterian
place of worship that faces the Bakery, is unique on the road as having no number in its postal address being simply Ormeau Park, Belfast.
flute band is affiliated to the Lodge.
of Newtownbreda
. Its local schools are Wellington college, Aquinas Grammar School And St Joseph's College (the latter having been formed in September 1992 by the amalgamation of St Monica's girls' school and St Augustine's boys' school). The area is also home to the Rosario Youth Club, whose soccer team Rosario YC F.C.
play in Division 1A of the Northern Amateur Football League
. The clubs teams, which compete in a number of age groups, are based at the Ulidia playing fields, opposite the Orange Hall. Bredagh GAC play in the nearby Cherryvale Playing Fields. The Gate Lodge, a historic building within the grounds of the Good Shepherd Church at the Ormeau/Ravenhill Road roundabout, restored in 2009, is now home to the Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust
.
in Northern Ireland
as well as the Ormeau Baths Gallery
). The road continues to Church Road where it merges into the Saintfield Road.
and so has Alasdair McDonnell
of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
as its Member of Parliament
as well as one of its MLAs. Serving with him in the Belfast South Assembly constituency
are Carmel Hanna
, Anna Lo
, Alex Maskey
, Michael McGimpsey
and Jimmy Spratt
. Within Belfast City Council
it is part of the Laganbank area which is represented by Pat McCarthy
and Kathleen Mullan of the SDLP and Christopher Stalford of the Democratic Unionist Party
, Catherine Curran of the Alliance Party and Deirdre Hargey of Sinn Féin
. The area formerly lent its name to the Belfast Ormeau Parliament constituency
which was represented by Thomas Moles
from 1918 to 1922.
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...
, 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...
. Ormeau Park
Ormeau Park
Ormeau Park is the oldest municipal park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, having been officially opened to the public in 1871. It is owned and run by Belfast City Council and is one of the largest and busiest parks in the city and contains a variety of horticulture, woodland, wildlife and sporting...
is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24
A24 road (Northern Ireland)
The A24 is a major road in Northern Ireland; running from Belfast, through Carryduff and Ballynahinch to Clough, near Newcastle where it meets the A2....
.
History
Having previously been the home of George Chichester, 2nd Marquess of DonegallGeorge Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall
George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall, KP, PC , styled Viscount Chichester until 1799, was an Irish nobleman and politician....
, a road was first built in 1815, when it was known more commonly as the New Ballynafeigh Road before eventually taking on the name of the Ormeau Park
Ormeau Park
Ormeau Park is the oldest municipal park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, having been officially opened to the public in 1871. It is owned and run by Belfast City Council and is one of the largest and busiest parks in the city and contains a variety of horticulture, woodland, wildlife and sporting...
. The road, although already well known as one of the key southern arterial routes into Belfast gained some small extra measure of notoriety because of the tensions regarding the Orange Order's attempts to march there on the Twelfth
The Twelfth
The Twelfth is a yearly Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It originated in Ireland during the 18th century. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne...
.
The Markets area
The Markets area marks the beginning of the Ormeau Road as it comes out of Belfast city centreBelfast City Centre
Belfast city centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the Cathedral Quarter...
. The area is based around Cromac Street and the historic St George's Market
St George's Market
St George's Market is the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan and the Waterfront Hall. Belfast Corporation commissioned the building of St George’s Market, which was built in three phases between 1890 and 1896...
. The area was substantially redeveloped in the 1980s and more money has been earmarked for further regeneration.
A working-class nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
area, it was something of a stronghold for the Official Irish Republican Army, with leading figures such as Joe McCann
Joe McCann
Joe McCann was an Irish Republican Army and later Official Irish Republican Army volunteer from Belfast. He was active in politics from the early 1960s and participated, as an Official IRA volunteer, in the early years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He was killed after being confronted by...
active in the area. McCann's killing in 1972 weakened the movement as a whole and saw the area become more open to the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
and Irish National Liberation Army
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
. Four members of the INLA have their deaths commemorated in a plaque in the area.
The area's proximity to the city's defunct music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
s led to a number of performers staying temporary lodgings in the area's Joy Street, with Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
and Laurel & Hardy amongst the leading names to have lodged there.
The area was also the birthplace of snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
star Joe Swail
Joe Swail
-External links:*...
and home to Belfast 'hard man' Silver McKee. Jackie Wright
Jackie Wright
John "Jackie" Wright was an Irish comedian, best known for being the bald-headed sidekick of Benny Hill on his television programme for one and a half decades...
, famous as Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
's sidekick came from Joy Street.
The Gasworks
Close to the Markets is the Belfast Gasworks, built between 1887 and 1893 by such leading Belfast industrialists as Robert Watt, James Stelfox and John Lanyon. It remained open for its original purpose until 1988. The area has been substantially redeveloped under the Laganside CorporationLaganside Corporation
The Laganside Corporation was a non-departmental public body formed by the Laganside Development Order 1989 with the goal of regenerating large sections of land in Belfast, Northern Ireland adjacent to the River Lagan...
and now includes a number of office buildings for companies such as Halifax
The Gasworks is also home to the Radisson Blu Hotel Belfast.
Donegall Pass
Donegall Pass faces the Gasworks and represents a loyalistUlster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
interface between the republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
areas of the Markets and the Lower Ormeau. It leads on to the Donegall Road
Donegall Road
The Donegall Road runs from Shaftesbury Square in Belfast city centre to the Falls Road in west Belfast. It is bisected by the Westlink, and the largest part of the road, prior to the Westlink junction, is predominantly unionist...
. In the years since 2004 "the Pass" has seen instances of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
rise as Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
communities have become established in the area. Combating this growth has been one of the areas of concern of the Donegall Pass Community Forum, founded in 1996.
Havelock House
The headquarters of UTV plcUTV plc
UTV Media is a broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. UTV Media's main operation is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland, and it is also the owner of UTV Radio, which operates the UK Independent National Radio...
, Havelock House
Havelock House, Belfast
Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc . The building is home to the company's television and local radio services UTV and U105, and Internet service provider, UTV Internet...
, have been situated between Donegall Pass and the Lower Ormeau since the station first went on air in October 1959.
The headquarters of Belfast CityBeat
Belfast CityBeat
Belfast CityBeat is a two-time Arqiva 'Station Of The Year' and multi-Sony Award winning Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast,...
are situated very close to Havelock House, just over the Havelock Bridge (which crosses the main Belfast to Dublin railway line which runs under the Ormeau Road).
Lower Ormeau
The Lower Ormeau is regarded by those who live there as the main nationalist–republican area of the Ormeau Road and includes the Belfast SouthBelfast South (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
constituency offices of both Sinn Féin
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...
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP) who hold the South Belfast seat at Westminster.
The area suffered a number of attacks 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...
when both Protestant and Catholic working-classes were killed. On 2 May 1974, six Catholic civilians were killed and 18 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in late 1965 or early 1966 and named after the Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913. The group's volunteers undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles...
(UVF) exploded a bomb at the Rose and Crown pub. Two gunmen attacked Sean Graham's bookmakers on 5 February 1992, killing four men and a fifteen-year-old boy in the shop. The attack was claimed by the "Ulster Freedom Fighters", a cover name used by 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"...
(UDA). Popular opinion in the area blamed Joe Bratty
Joe Bratty
Joe Bratty was a Northern Irish loyalist activist and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association's South Belfast Brigade...
and Raymond Elder, two leading UDA members from the nearby Annadale Flats, although it has since been claimed that, whilst Bratty and Elder were involved in planning the massacre, the gunmen were actually brought in from east Belfast. Bratty and Elder were both killed by the Provisional IRA on the Ormeau Road on 31 July 1994. The Upper Ormeau UDA was also responsible for the murder of Theresa Clinton, a housewife who lived on Balfour Avenue during the same period. Bratty and Elder were widely suspected of involvement and their killing by the IRA led to celebrations amongst ordinary Catholics in the area. The gang, which they led, were responsible for a numerous murders in the area.
The area was the scene of controversy due to the parade by bands from Ballynafeigh Orange Lodge over the Ormeau Bridge and through the area. As well as the general opposition of the community to the parades, claims were also made that members of the lodge had demonstrated triumphalism over the murder of five men in Sean Graham's bookmakers by the UDA. In 1996, the dispute spilled over into conflict between the Lower Ormeau Residents' Action Group and the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
after widespread rioting led the police to effectively seal off the area for two days. The Parades Commission
Parades Commission
The Parades Commission is a quasi-judicial non-departmental public body responsible for placing restrictions on or banning outright any parades in Northern Ireland it deems contentious or offensive. It is composed of seven members, all of whom are appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern...
initially supported the marchers in the dispute although since 1999 parades have been banned from the area, even leading to the Orange Order briefly using the Ormeau Park as its meeting place instead of Edenderry.
Until 1999, the North of Ireland Cricket and Football Club
North of Ireland FC
North of Ireland Football Club is a former Irish rugby union club that was based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was the first rugby club formed in what is now Northern Ireland and only two other clubs - Dublin University and Wanderers - were formed earlier anywhere else in all Ireland . It was...
's home stadium – one of the earliest international rugby venues in Ireland - was in the area, although, following a series of perceived sectarian arson attacks, the club's merger into the Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and squash...
has seen the demolition of the stadium, which has been redeveloped as housing, known as Lavinia Square and Mews.
The Holyland
Holyland (Belfast)
The Holyland, The Holy Land is a residential area of inner-south Belfast, Northern Ireland. Composed of a series of streets behind Queen's University near to the River Lagan, the area has been dubbed the Holyland from its street names: Jerusalem Street, Palestine Street, Damascus Street, Carmel...
, an area mainly inhabited by students from Queen's University Belfast, faces this area on the western side of the road.
Ormeau Bridge
The Ormeau Bridge links the so-called or self-styled, Lower Ormeau to the rest of the road, crossing the River LaganRiver Lagan
The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The River Lagan forms much of the border between County Antrim and County Down. It rises as a tiny fast...
. Work began on the bridge in 1815 and was completed by 1818 or 1822. The bridge was demolished as unusable however and was not fully rebuilt until 1863. The Lagan forms the boundary between 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...
, encompassing the inner-city districts, and County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, lying to the south-east.
Ormeau Park
The Ormeau Park is across the bridge from the Lower Ormeau. It is the city's oldest municipal park, dating back to 1871 and stretches from the Ormeau Road to the Ravenhill Road. It is also the home of Ormeau Golf ClubOrmeau Golf Club
The Ormeau Golf Club is located on Park Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a nine-hole course with an eighteen-hole par of 68.The golf club describes itself as "the Course in the heart of the city" as it is just a mile from Belfast city centre. It was formed in 1893 and is one of the oldest...
. Outside the Park a cycle path
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
has been added to the road.
The park has been used for Orange gatherings on the Twelfth as well as other open air events such as revival meeting
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
s. It was also the scene of the first meeting of the Ulster Vanguard on 18 March 1972 when William Craig called on his followers to attend following his decision to leave the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
. Joined by 100,000 followers Craig made a controversial speech in which he stated that "we must build up a dossier of the men and women who are a menace to this country because if and when the politicians fail us, it may be our job to liquidate the enemy".
The park was considered as an alternative venue for a new multi-purpose sports stadium, although First Minister
Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive...
Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
vetoed the plans.
Ormeau Bakery
The Ormeau Bakery was the home of Ormo bread, formerly the largest independent bakery in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The company celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2002 but was then bought out by Mother's Pride
Mother's Pride
Mother's Pride is a brand name for a variety of breads produced by British Bakeries, a division of Premier Foods. The company also bakes Nimble and Hovis branded loaves as well as supermarket 'own brand' ranges....
, leading to a closing of the site. The bakery has been redeveloped as upmarket, luxury apartments with roof gardens and other decorative touches according to designs by Diarmuid Gavin
Diarmuid Gavin
Diarmuid Gavin is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He is married to Justine Keane, daughter of The Hon. Ronan Keane, the former Chief Justice of Ireland, and Terry Keane, and they have a daughter named Eppie born December 2004.-Early life:When he was six, his younger brother...
.
The Ormeau Bakery is situated between the loyalist Annadale housing estate and the middle class area around Park Road, North Parade and South Parade. Cooke Centenary Church, a Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
place of worship that faces the Bakery, is unique on the road as having no number in its postal address being simply Ormeau Park, Belfast.
Ballynafeigh Orange Lodge
Ballynafeigh Orange Lodge is situated on the Ormeau Road and is the main centre for Orangeism in the area. The Lodge was formed in 1887 according to the plaque above the door. An Apprentice Boys of DerryApprentice Boys of Derry
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...
flute band is affiliated to the Lodge.
Upper Ormeau
Encompassing the areas of Rosetta and Galwally, the Upper Ormeau is a largely middle class area. It is served by the Forestside Shopping CentreForestside Shopping Centre
Forestside Shopping Centre is located in Newtownbreda in the southern suburbs of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first phase of the centre, the Sainsbury's store, opened in March 1997. The popularity of the centre has exceeded expectations with traffic congestion a problem in peak trading seasons...
of Newtownbreda
Newtownbreda
Newtownbreda is an electoral ward of the Borough of Castlereagh in Northern Ireland. At one time "Newtownbreda" referred to a small village to the south-east of Belfast. However, it is now part of the Greater Belfast conurbation and Newtownbreda now tends to refer to the wider area from Hydebank to...
. Its local schools are Wellington college, Aquinas Grammar School And St Joseph's College (the latter having been formed in September 1992 by the amalgamation of St Monica's girls' school and St Augustine's boys' school). The area is also home to the Rosario Youth Club, whose soccer team Rosario YC F.C.
Rosario YC F.C.
Rosario Youth Club Football Club is a Northern Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the Northern Amateur Football League...
play in Division 1A of the Northern Amateur Football League
Northern Amateur Football League
The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in Northern Ireland. It contains 13 divisions...
. The clubs teams, which compete in a number of age groups, are based at the Ulidia playing fields, opposite the Orange Hall. Bredagh GAC play in the nearby Cherryvale Playing Fields. The Gate Lodge, a historic building within the grounds of the Good Shepherd Church at the Ormeau/Ravenhill Road roundabout, restored in 2009, is now home to the Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust
Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust
The , founded in 1996, is a cross community Building Preservation Trust with charitable status that exists to rescue those buildings for which no apparent sustainable use can be found....
.
Geography
The Ormeau Road begins with the merger of Cromac Street and Ormeau Avenue (which contains the headquarters of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 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...
as well as the Ormeau Baths Gallery
Ormeau Baths Gallery
The Ormeau Baths Gallery in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is one of Ireland's premier contemporary art spaces. It curated exhibitions by prominent international artists including; Yoko Ono, Gilbert & George, Victor Sloan, Bill Viola, Hans Peter Kuhn, Stan Douglas, David Byrne, Willie Doherty and...
). The road continues to Church Road where it merges into the Saintfield Road.
Politics
The Ormeau Road is part of the Belfast SouthBelfast South (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
and so has Alasdair McDonnell
Alasdair McDonnell
Dr Alasdair McDonnell is an Irish politician, Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and both a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Belfast. On 5 November, 2011, he was elected as the new leader of the SDLP.-Early...
of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
as its Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
as well as one of its MLAs. Serving with him in the Belfast South Assembly constituency
Belfast South (Assembly constituency)
Belfast South is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
are Carmel Hanna
Carmel Hanna
Carmel Hanna MLA is a Northern Irish politician. She is a member of the SDLP and was MLA for South Belfast from 1998 to 2010.-Early life and nursing career:...
, Anna Lo
Anna Lo
Anna Manwah Lo MBE is an Alliance Party politician in Northern Ireland. Born in Hong Kong, of Chinese ethnicity, Lo was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Belfast in the 2007 assembly election...
, Alex Maskey
Alex Maskey
Alex Maskey is an Irish politician who was the first member of Sinn Féin to serve as Belfast's Lord Mayor. He is Sinn Féin's longest sitting councillor and is currently an MLA for South Belfast as well as being a councillor for the Laganbank area of Belfast.-Early life:Maskey was educated at St...
, Michael McGimpsey
Michael McGimpsey
Michael McGimpsey MLA is an Ulster Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South who has twice served in the Northern Ireland Executive...
and Jimmy Spratt
Jimmy Spratt
Jimmy Spratt is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland.In 2007, he was elected as a Democratic Unionist Party member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Belfast. He chairs the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, is one of the DUP representatives on the Northern Ireland Policing...
. Within Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
it is part of the Laganbank area which is represented by Pat McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy (politician)
Patrick McCarthy is a Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party politician and member of Belfast City Council.First elected to the council in 2001 for Laganbank he was chosen as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2006. McCarthy, the city's fourth nationalist mayor, was endorsed by all parties except...
and Kathleen Mullan of the SDLP and Christopher Stalford of the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
, Catherine Curran of the Alliance Party and Deirdre Hargey of Sinn Féin
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...
. The area formerly lent its name to the Belfast Ormeau Parliament constituency
Belfast Ormeau (UK Parliament constituency)
Ormeau, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom 1918–1922.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...
which was represented by Thomas Moles
Thomas Moles
Thomas Moles was an Ulster Unionist politician. Born in Belfast, Ireland in 1871, he was educated at the Collegiate School, Ballymena....
from 1918 to 1922.
See also
- Belfast South (Assembly constituency)Belfast South (Assembly constituency)Belfast South is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
- Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast South was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921-1929. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
- Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
- Havelock House, BelfastHavelock House, BelfastHavelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc . The building is home to the company's television and local radio services UTV and U105, and Internet service provider, UTV Internet...
- Ormeau Golf ClubOrmeau Golf ClubThe Ormeau Golf Club is located on Park Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a nine-hole course with an eighteen-hole par of 68.The golf club describes itself as "the Course in the heart of the city" as it is just a mile from Belfast city centre. It was formed in 1893 and is one of the oldest...
- Ormeau ParkOrmeau ParkOrmeau Park is the oldest municipal park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, having been officially opened to the public in 1871. It is owned and run by Belfast City Council and is one of the largest and busiest parks in the city and contains a variety of horticulture, woodland, wildlife and sporting...
- Rosario Youth Club F.C.