Glenavy

:"This article refers to the village in Northern Ireland. For the town in New Zealand, see Glenavy, New Zealand"Glenavy (derive|Irish|Lann Abhaigh|Church of the Dwarf) is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 17 kilometres north west of Lisburn on the banks of the Glenavy River. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,069 people.

The village is a local service centre with a range of facilities including St Aidan’s Church of Ireland, Glenavy Methodist Church & Hall, St. Joseph's Church and Ballymacrickett Primary School. The village also has a number of shops/services; including a post office, a doctors surgery, Glenavy Garden & Lifestyle Centre, Eric's Kitchen (Chinese Takeaway), Sarah's Plaice (Fish & Chip Takeaway), Glenavy Kitchens, a Vivo, a Mace, an off licence and McGeown's bar/restaurant.

History

Glenavy was first recorded as a Parish Church site in the 14th century, but Saint Patrick has strong associations with the site suggesting a lengthy ecclesiastical history. The present St Aidan’s Church is on the site of earlier foundations, and is located on what was the junction of a number of important route ways. By the early 19th century some industrial development had taken place, and this contributed to the growth of the village. John Ballance, a premier of New Zealand, was born in Glenavy.Ryan Hill now lives in Glenavy with his boreing brother Jack: [

Demographics

Glenavy is classified as a village by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,069 people living in Glenavy. Of these:
*33.0% were aged under 16 years and 8.8% were aged 60 and over
*48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female
*74.7% were from a Catholic background and 24.0% were from a Protestant background
*2.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information Service]

Transport

Glenavy railway station was opened on 13 November 1871, [cite web | title=Glenavy station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-08-28] but is no longer operational.

See also

*List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland

References

*Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015

External links

* [http://www.lisburn.com/history/down_your_way/down_your_way_glenavy.htm Lisburn.com - Glenavy]
* [http://www.glenavygac.com/ St Joseph's Gaelic Athletic Club]
* [http://www.glenavy.com/ Communities Against Lough Neagh Incinerator (CALNI)]