Ballygowan

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Ballygowan
  • Irish: Baile Mhic Gabhann
Church Hill, Ballygowan, August 2010 (01).JPG
County Down UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Ballygowan
Location within County Down
Area0.38 sq mi (0.98 km2)
Population3,138 (2021 census)
  Density 8,258/sq mi (3,188/km2)
Irish grid reference J4308063725
  Belfast 8.7 mi (14.0 km)
District
County
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NEWTOWNARDS
Postcode district BT23
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
Website http://www.ballygowan.info
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Down
54°30′09″N5°47′32″W / 54.50252°N 5.79211°W / 54.50252; -5.79211

Ballygowan (from Irish Baile Mhic Gabhann, meaning ' McGowan 's townland') [1] is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Ards and North Down Borough. The town of Comber is a short distance to the north-east, the town of Saintfield to the south, and the city of Belfast further to the north-west. It is within the civil parishes of Killinchy and Comber and is split between the historic baronies of Castlereagh Lower and Castlereagh Upper. [2] It had a population of 3,138 people in the 2021 census. [3]

Contents

History

Before the early 17th century Plantation of Ulster, when many Lowland Scots moved across the Irish Sea to settle in northern Ireland on lands granted by King James I to James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery, the area of Ballygowan was sparsely inhabited by Irish Gaels. It was within the territory of Clannaboy, and in 1744 the McGowans of the Ards were associated with the Clannaboy O'Neills. [1]

In the late 18th century the village comprised a bridge (over the River Blackwater at the intersection of the Comber/Saintfield and Killyleagh/Belfast roads), a dozen or so small houses and an inn. The surrounding townlands were populated by a great number of small tenant farmers and weavers. The main landlords were Lord Dufferin and Lord Londonderry.

From the mid-19th century through the early 20th century the population of the rural area surrounding Ballygowan declined considerably as many people emigrated to North America or found work in Comber, Saintfield and particularly in Belfast. However, it was during this period, and subsequent to the introduction of the Belfast & County Down Railway in 1850, that the village began to grow. Ballygowan railway station opened on 10 September 1858, but finally closed on 15 January 1950. [4] After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years have seen rapid growth. [5]

On Monday, 15 September 2014, the remains of The Baron Bannside (better known as The Rev. Ian Paisley) were buried in the graveyard attached to Ballygowan Free Presbyterian Church. Lord Bannside was a former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a former Leader of the DUP.

Demography

2001 census

In the 2001 census, Ballygowan had a population of 2671 people.

2011 census

On census Day in 2011, 27 March 2011, the usually resident population of Ballygowan Ward was 2,957 (1,077 households). [3] Of these:

Education

Primary

Ballygowan has one primary school, the Alexander Dickson Primary School, located within the village.[ citation needed ]

Other primary schools in the area include Carrickmannon PS (1 mile outside the village), and Moneyrea PS (in Moneyreagh).[ citation needed ]

Secondary

While Ballygowan does not contain any secondary schools, a number are located nearby. These include Saintfield High School (in nearby Saintfield), Lagan College (in Castlereagh), and Grosvenor Grammar School (in Belfast).[ citation needed ]

Transport

Bus

Ballygowan has a bus depot connecting Ballygowan to Belfast, Comber, Newtownards and Darragh Cross. Bus services which serve the area include route number 12/512 (to Belfast City Centre) and route 5b (Newtownards to Comber).[ citation needed ] These routes are run by Translink Ulsterbus.[ citation needed ]

Railways

Ballygowan railway station was opened by the Belfast and County Down Railway on 10 September 1858. [4] The station was on the once rail network that connected Belfast Queen's Quay railway station to Downpatrick and Newcastle, County Down. The station closed on 15 January 1950 along with the rest of the Belfast and County Down Railway line, by which time it had been taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority.[ citation needed ]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Experience ArcGIS
  2. "Ballygowan". Placenames database of Ireland. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 "NISRA Census 2021". Census 2021 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Ballygowan station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
  5. http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=Ballygowan@Exact match of location name: @Exact Match Of Location Name: Ballygowan@4?