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Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret () is the name of both a
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
and
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. The townland is in the civil parish of Knockbreda in the historic
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Castlereagh Upper Castlereagh Upper (named after the former barony of Castlereagh) is a historic barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was created by 1841 with the division of Castlereagh into two. It is bordered by eight other baronies: Castlereagh Lower an ...
in
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, and has existed since earlier than 1622. The electoral ward is part of the Titanic district electoral area of
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council () is the Local government in Northern Ireland, local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district c ...
. The ward was created in 1973, with most of the population coming from the former Pottinger ward. It was slightly enlarged in 1985, taking in part of the Island ward. The ward consists of two distinct districts: Ballymacarrett, which is almost entirely Protestant, and the Short Strand which is almost entirely Catholic, with the two separated by a peaceline. Consequently, in the 2001 census, the Roman Catholic community background figure was 51%. Set in the shadows of the
Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...
cranes Samson & Goliath, large numbers of local men worked in the shipyard during its heyday. The area is also well known for 'Ulster's Freedom Corner', a series of loyalist murals.


History

Ballymacarrett has not always been part of Belfast. Even after its industry, infrastructure and population had become intertwined with the city, its official incorporation happened slowly in several stages, with Belfast often reluctant to take on the burden of the townland's population. It was incorporated into the municipal boundary of Belfast in 1852.


Population history


Early history


17th and 18th centuries

In 1622,
James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...
(Viscount of Clandeboye) leased the townland of Ballymacarret to Richard and Henry Whitehead. Later leases were made to the merchant family Kelso from Ayr, Scotland. In 1672, ‘''Balle maccarrett'' alias ''Ballincrat''’ was sold to Thomas Pottinger, whose merchant family built the large Mountpottinger house in the townland. In 1744, the only two buildings described in Ballymacarrett were Mountpottinger and a mill. Handloom weavers had built small cottages, forming a village at Ballymacarrett. In 1776, glass works were opened on land reclaimed from the Lagan, and a pottery factory soon followed. In 1799 the first vitriol works was established. By 1791, the village had 257 houses and a population of 1,208.


19th century

From around 1825, Ballymacarrett transformed rapidly from a rural village into a town. In 1836, 223 people in Ballymacarrett worked as labourers, earning an estimated yearly wage of £15 to £18 (£ to £ in ). By 1837, the townland had 5168 inhabitants and a police station. Industry in 1837 included: * Calico and muslin manufacture, employing several hundred people * The Lagan foundry, which employed 140 people * A rope yard and sail cloth factory, which employed 130 people * Two large linen spinning mills (opened in 1834), which employed more than 300 people * Two vitriol works, which supplied local bleachers, dyers, and calico printers * Various starch, meal and flour factories incorporating steam and water mills Belfast
Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...
was formed on 1 June 1839 and assigned two out of 22 members of its Board of Guardians to Ballymacarrett. Ballymacarrett was greatly impacted by the
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...
, but had difficulties obtaining government assistance because it was officially treated as separate from Belfast. In 1840, the reforms of the Municipal Corporations Act added Ballymacarrett to the
corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
of the town of Belfast. Ballymacarrett was incorporated into the municipal boundaries of Belfast in 1852. In 1853, the landowner of the townland, Baron Templemore planned a sweeping redevelopment of the area, which would have replaced it with a
planned suburb Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...
. Templemore Avenue was built under this plan before the scheme was abandoned due to cost.


20th century


The Troubles

In some ways the ward has been a microcosm of the Northern Ireland troubles. The June 1970 "Battle of Saint Matthew's" occupies an important place in Irish republican history after a gun battle between republicans and loyalists, who were accused of attacking the church. Loyalists counter this with claims that three Orange Order members were killed after returning from a parade. The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) confirmed the loyalist version of events. It is seen as one of the key developments in the rise to prominence of the
Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
. Similarly on the Ballymacarrett side of the peaceline, Protestant residents have claimed that Republicans are engaged in attacks on Protestant homes which amount to 'ethnic cleansing' – claims which Republicans dispute and deny.


2011 East Belfast riots

Ballymacarrett and the nearby Newtownards Road played a key part in what became known as the 2011 Northern Ireland riots. At first, the riots were only located in the area and were known as the 2011 East Belfast riots but by July, the riots had spread to other parts of the country. During the riots, the Protestants in the area were going against Short Strand Catholics.


Transport

Ballymacarrett was the location of the Ballymacarrett Junction, a large railway junction that served the Belfast and County Down Railway from its Queens Quay terminus, to Bangor in the north, and the mainline running south to Comber,
Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...
and
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. There was also an interconnection over the river Lagan to the Great Northern Railway and on to Belfast Central railway station. Ballymacarrett was the scene of the Ballymacarrett rail crash which occurred at 7.50am on 10 January 1945 when the 7.40am rail motor Holywood to Belfast crashed into the rear of the 7.10am Bangor to Belfast train. 22 passengers were killed, and 27 injured. The darkness and local fog were a factor but the driver of the rail motor was held to blame. Ballymacarrett Halt railway station was located on the B&CDR route from Belfast to Bangor. It opened on 1 May 1905, but closed on 9 May 1977, when the adjacent Bridge End railway station opened.


References

{{Coord, 54.6014, -5.9058, region:GB-NIR, format=dms, display=title Electoral wards of Belfast Townlands of County Down Civil parish of Knockbreda