Portglenone

Portglenone
  • Irish: Port Chluain Eoghain
Portglenone shown within Northern Ireland
Population 1,174 (2011 Census)
District
County
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BALLYMENA
Postcode district BT44
Dialling code 028
EU Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly

Portglenone (from Irish: Port Chluain Eoghain, meaning "The Fort of Eoghan's meadow")[1] is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Ballymena. It had a population of 1,174 people in the 2011 Census.[2] Portglenone is beside the smaller village of Glenone (in County Londonderry), from which it is separated by the River Bann.

History

In 1197, a castle was built there for Norman invader John de Courcy.

Places of interest

Portglenone Forest

Portglenone Forest Park, just outside the village, is classified as an 'Ancient Woodland', and has well marked nature trails, with the River Bann flowing through the forest. There is also a memorial to the United States servicemen stationed there during World War II. The foundations of their Nissen huts can still be seen throughout the wood.[3]

Portglenone Abbey

Portglenone Abbey Church, Our Lady Of Bethlehem Cistercian Monastery, occupies a Georgian mansion (Portglenone House) in the village. In the 1960s a new monastery was built, designed by Padraig Ó Muireadhaigh, which has won several architectural awards.

Gig 'n The Bann Festival

The Gig 'n the Bann is a local cross-community music and dance festival in Portglenone. It takes its name from the River Bann and has been held every year since 1999. Performers have included Paul McSherry and the junior members of Portglenone CCE Branch as well as former members of Déanta.[4]

Bluebells in Portglenone Forest

Demography

2001 Census

Portglenone is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,219 people living in Portglenone. Of these:

  • 26.3% were aged under 16 years and 19.7% were aged 60 and over
  • 47.9% of the population were male and 52.1% were female
  • 47.1% were from a Catholic background and 52.6% were from a Protestant background
  • 2.6% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

2011 Census

On Census day in 2011: It had a population of 1,174 people (498 households) in the 2011 Census.[2]

Notable people

Camogie

Portglenone camogie club won the Ulster senior club championship in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982 and 1992. Leading players include Mairead McAtamney.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. 1 2 "Portglenone". Census 2011 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  3. ↑ See Portglenone Forest Archived 2006-02-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Belfast Telegraph, Invitation too good to refuse, 8 September 2007
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