Markethill | |
---|---|
Location within Northern Ireland | |
Population | 1,647 (2011 census) |
Irish grid reference | H962398 |
• Belfast | 40 miles |
District | |
County | |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ARMAGH |
Postcode district | BT60 |
Dialling code | 028, +44 28 |
UK Parliament | |
NI Assembly | |
Markethill (Irish : Cnoc an Mhargaidh) [1] is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is beside Gosford Forest Park. It had a population of 1,647 people in the 2011 census. [2]
A livestock market is held here three times a week and each summer the world's largest Lambeg drumming contest takes place in the village.[ citation needed ] It is home to Kilcluney Volunteers Flute Band, who host the largest band parade in Europe on the first Friday of each June.[ citation needed ]
It is by the A28 road around 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east of Armagh city, and 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-west of Newry.
The village sprang up within the townland of Coolmallish or Coolmillish (Irish : Cúil Mheallghuis), [1] on the road between Armagh and Newry. It began to grow during the Plantation of Ulster as a town for Scottish and English migrants.
During the Troubles, there were a number of incidents in Markethill, including a number which resulted in fatalities.
Nearby Gosford Castle is within Gosford Forest Park. The Ministry of Agriculture bought the estate in 1958, establishing Gosford Forest Park. Gosford Castle is the largest Grade A listed building in Northern Ireland, in 2006 after public consultation the Boyd Partnership was selected to restore the castle and convert it into 24 self-contained luxury apartments. The first residents moved in December 2008, restoration is still in progress as of May 2010.
Markethill Courthouse, situated at the top of Main Street, at the north entrance to Markethill adjacent to Gosford Forest Park. Markethill Courthouse was built in 1842 to the designs of Thomas Duff, and is one of the few surviving large regional free standing Courthouses built in the middle century.[ citation needed ] The building is constructed of random Blackstone with Armagh limestone quoins and dressings. The building was last used as a courthouse in 1952, was purchased by Markethill District Enterprises Ltd in June 1997, after lying vacant for 25 years. The building was restored for use as a community centre.[ citation needed ]
Markethill Swifts F.C., an association football club, play in the Mid-Ulster Football League. The nearest Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club is at Mullaghbrack.[ citation needed ]
Markethill railway station opened on 25 August 1864, closed for passenger traffic on 1 February 1933 and finally closed altogether on 2 May 1955. [7] It was located on the Armagh to Goraghwood section of line run by the Great Northern Railway of Ireland.
Markethill is classified as a village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,499 people). [8] On census day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Markethill Settlement was 1,647, accounting for 0.09% of the NI total. [2] Of these:
Schools in the area include Markethill Primary School and Markethill High School.
The first significant industrial capacity in the town was established in 1888 by DH Sinton who established a linen mill, close to the town's railway station.[ citation needed ] The mill was purchased by Spence, Bryson & Co. Ltd in 1909 and remained operational until 1991 when it was badly damaged by an IRA bomb. Production at this point moved to a sister factory in nearby Portadown.
Today the area is largely focused on agriculture and is centred on the large agricultural mart situated on the Cladymilltown Road on the outskirts of the town. Markethill Livestock Sales has been established for more than 45 years. [9] The previous mart premises subsequently became a derelict site.[ citation needed ]
A small business park has been constructed on a section of the former Spence, Bryson & Co. Ltd Linen Mill which contains a number of small business' and start-up enterprises. The business park is administered by Markethill Business Centre on Fairgreen Road. [10]
There are several independent businesses located in the town. These include Alexander's of Markethill and Alexanders Furnishings Ltd., [11] established in 1954 and operating from the old Market House, Keady Street with the furniture shop on Fairgreen Road nearby. Dalzell's of Markethill, an electrical appliances company, was established in 1956. [12]
County Armagh is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders the Northern Irish counties of Tyrone to the west and Down to the east. The county borders Louth and Monaghan to the south and southwest, which are in the Republic of Ireland. It is named after its county town, Armagh, which derives from the Irish Ard Mhacha, meaning "Macha's height". Macha was a sovereignty goddess in Irish mythology and is said to have been buried on a wooded hill around which the town of Armagh grew. County Armagh is colloquially known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards.
Craigavon is a town in northern County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Its construction began in 1965 and it was named after the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland: James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon. It was intended to be the heart of a new linear city incorporating Lurgan and Portadown, but this plan was mostly abandoned and later described as having been flawed. Among local people today, "Craigavon" refers to the area between the two towns. It is built beside a pair of artificial lakes and is made up of a large residential area (Brownlow), a second smaller one (Mandeville), plus a central area (Highfield) that includes a substantial shopping centre, a courthouse and the district council headquarters. The area around the lakes is a public park and wildlife haven made up of woodland with walking trails. There is also a watersports centre, golf course and ski slope in the area. In most of Craigavon, motor vehicles are completely separated from pedestrians, and roundabouts are used extensively. It hosted the headquarters of the former Craigavon Borough Council.
Armagh is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. In ancient times, nearby Navan Fort was a pagan ceremonial site and one of the great royal capitals of Gaelic Ireland. Today, Armagh is home to two cathedrals and the Armagh Observatory, and is known for its Georgian architecture.
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Gosford Castle is a 19th-century country house situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was built for Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, and designed in the Norman revival style by London architect Thomas Hopper. It is a Grade A listed building, and is said to be Ulster's largest. The Earls of Gosford occupied the castle until 1921, and the estate was later purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture to form Gosford Forest Park. The building subsequently deteriorated and in 2006 was sold to a development company who converted the castle into private dwellings.
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Gosford Forest Park is a forest park located outside Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The park, previously Gosford Demesne, was acquired by the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and comprises some 240 hectares of diverse woodland and open parkland. Gosford Forest Park is also home to Gosford Castle. It was designated the first conservation forest in Northern Ireland in 1986.
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