Portglenone (from ga, Port Chluain Eoghain , meaning 'landing place of Eoghan's meadow') is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, Northern Ireland. It lies 8.5 miles (14 km) west of
Ballymena. It had a population of 1,174 people in the 2011 Census.
Portglenone is beside the smaller village of
Glenone (in
County Londonderry), from which it is separated by the
River Bann
The River Bann (from ga, An Bhanna, meaning "the goddess"; Ulster-Scots: ''Bann Wattèr'') is one of the longest rivers in Northern Ireland, its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). However, the total lengt ...
.
History
In 1197, a
castle was built there for Norman invader
John de Courcy
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, ...
.
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 hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure for military use, especially as barracks, made from a half-cylindrical skin of Corrugated galvanised iron, corrugated iron. Designed during the First World War by the American-born, Canadian-British ...
s can still be seen throughout the wood.
Portglenone Abbey
Portglenone Abbey Church, Our Lady Of Bethlehem
Cistercian Monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
, 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 o
Portglenone CCE Branchas well as former members of
Déanta.
[ Belfast Telegraph, ''Invitation too good to refuse'', 8 September 2007]
Demography
On census day in 2011, Portglenone had a population of 1,174 people (498 households) in the 2011 Census.
[ According to census retorns, 46.8% were from a ]Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
background and 50.6% were from a Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
background.
Climate
Sport
Portglenone's camogie club won the Ulster senior club championship in 1971, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
, 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
, 1974, 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
, 1978, 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, 1982 and 1992. Notable players include Mairead McAtamney.
Notable people
* Bernard Diamond, recipient of the Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
* Emma Kearney, actress ('' Coronation Street'', ''Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
'', '' Mr. Bhatti on Chutti'')
See also
* List of civil parishes of County Antrim
*List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of towns and villages in Northern Ireland. For a list sorted by population, see the list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The towns of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry are also classed as cities (see city s ...
* Portglenone Parish Church
References
External links
River Bann, Ireland
- Portglenone visitor information
{{authority control
Villages in County Antrim
Civil parishes of County Antrim