Glengormley

Infobox Irish Place
name = Glengormley
gaeilge = Gleann gorm liath
crest

motto =
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pin coords =
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province = Ulster
county = County Antrim
NI district = Newtownabbey Borough
UK constituency = North Belfast
EU constituency = Northern Ireland
stdcode = 028, +44 28
posttown = Newtownabbey
postcode = BT36
population =
census yr = 2001
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Glengormley (derive|Irish|Gleann gorm liath|the blue grey glen) is a village located in the borough of Newtownabbey, bordering the north-western edge of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Location

The original settlement grew up in the mid 19th century, around a junction of the roads linking Belfast with Antrim and Ballyclare.

The wider suburban area of Glengormley borders North Belfast, Carnmoney and Mallusk. It is a popular residential area, include developments in 1995 - 2005 which have seen an expansion upwards from the village to the Hightown Road.

Glengormley is approximately six miles from Belfast; the sixth milestone from the city centre is located on the Ballyclare Road beside Glengormley High School

Geography

As the lowest pass through the Belfast hills from the northern prospect, Glengormley is also traversed by major communication arteries including the Belfast to Derry railway line (served by Mossley West halt) and the M2 motorway.

As a main conduit for commuters, the town experiences chronic congestion during peak times of the day, particularly on the A6 or Antrim Road, which runs through the centre of the town. The M2 motorway runs close to the village and is accessible from the Sandyknowes Roundabout located at the end of the A6 with slip roads to the M2 northbound and southbound carriageways. The A8(M) motorway and the main road into the Mallusk and Hydepark Industrial Estates as well as many other B roads are accessible from Sandyknowes.

Despite being technically a glen (the area is in the valley between Cave Hill and Carnmoney Hill), Glengormley sits at 700 feet above sea level, and is noted for a climate noticeably colder than the adjacent Lagan valley area. The cold and windy weather may be explained by the 'tunnel' of natural features running from the Antrim coast to the edge of Glengormley on the Hightown Road. The 'tunnel' can be seen from the Cavehill Country Park entrance at Hightown Road, as one looks north towards Slemish.

History

From Victorian times to the 1930s, Glengormley was often the final destination on the leisure trail for working class Belfast Citizens escaping the city grime. The three main stops on the trail were Belfast Castle, Belfast Zoo and the dance hall in Glengormley, opposite the present day Glen Inn. Over the years, The journey was made by tram or trolley bus or train. The Belfast Street Tramway Company replaced carts with horse-drawn trams and the Cavehill and Whitewell Tramway company ran a steam tramway from Glengormley into Belfast.

2 miles outside the village, Sentry Hill is an early 19th century farmhouse on the hill above Glengormley and Corr's Corner in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. It was the home of William Fee McKinney - a prosperous farmer and meticulous collector of farming, church and other records and artefacts. He was a member of the Linen Hall Library, the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. He was secretary of Carnmoney Presbyterian Church for 62 years.

Leisure

Glengormley is within walking distance of the Cavehill Country Park and Bellevue Zoo. The expansive Valley Park provides a safe cycling route to the North Shore coastal cycle path and onwards to central Belfast.

At the Southern end of the village there is an 8 screen cinema, 10 pin bowling alleys, three snooker halls (two at the southern end and one at the northern end) and some commercial premises.

ports

Glengormley also hosts a major Gaelic Athletic Association club in St Enda's.

Commercial

Glengormley hosts major commercial complexes in the Mallusk Enterprise Park, including Royal Mail and Marks and Spencer. At peak times, Translink Metro and Ulsterbus buses to Belfast pass through the centre of the town approximately every ten minutes, and take approximately twenty minutes to reach the city centre via the A6 Antrim Road and A2 Shore Road. Belfast is accessed by car via the Antrim Road or M2 motorway.

Points of Interest

The Crown and Shamrock pub on the Antrim Road in Glengormley is one of the oldest pubs in County Antrim and has been made famous by the film "Middletown" where many of the scenes were filmed.

Marching Season In Glengormley

During the summer months a controversial point of interest is the disputed "Glengormley Arch" which is situated in the centre of the town. Several protests and attacks have taken place due to the position and content of the arch itself which is seen, by the nationalist and republican community as sectarian and intimidating. On the other hand it is seen as a tradition by Protestants.

As well as this the idea of a new arch commemorating Easter 1916/Bloody Sunday/the hunger strikers is being proposed by the republican community. This is controversial as Protestants have said that it promotes sectarianism, while republicans believe it serves the same purpose as the orange arch (to commemorate a significant occurrence in history).

The Church Road which is situated on the outskirts of the Elmfield area is a flashpoint during the summer parades. The "mini 12th" parade which is an annual event marches up this road which is in the centre of a predominantly Catholic area of Glengormley. In the past this has culminated in sectarian violence between loyalists, republicans and police which has spread to other areas of the town, mainly the Carnmoney road which leads to predominantly Protestant areas.

The town remains a mixed and tolerate community with the odd violent act, mainly perpetrated by young criminals and hoods seeking to cause trouble for the wider communities.

Famous inhabitants

* Debbie McGee, wife and assistant of millionaire Paul Daniels, lived in Glengormley between 1962 and 1974.
* Tom Morton -Ireland Memory Champion and World ranked genius memory mentathlete who recited the Mathmatical expression Pi to 15,223 decimal places and beat the Manchester telephone exchange on the BBC That's Life! is a current contender for the European & World Record,resided in Glengormley 1964-1983. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/63006.stm]
* Actor Stephen Boyd (1931–1977) — starred in Ben-Hur (1959) and Fantastic Voyage (1966) and some fifty other films, born in Glengormley.
* Roy Mason — Irish painter who produced an acclaimed series of 'Troubles' paintings while a Glengormley resident.
* Writer Padraic Fiacc lived in Glengormley.
* Broadcaster Neal McClelland lived in Glengormley.
* Derek Mahon — Irish poet who lived in Glengormley. One of his best-known poems is entitled "Glengormley".
* Jeremy McWilliams - Former GP Motorcycle racer.