Pound Loney

The Pound Loney was the name for an area in the Lower Falls district of Belfast. The area evolved in the nineteenth century as a place for keeping animals on their way from the countryside to be sold at market in Belfast. The animals were kept in a "pound" (from the Old English "pund" meaning an enclosure for animals, cf. "pen") while the "loney" was the lane or street beside the pound. Gradually housing began to be built in the area and it became a thriving working class community. Many famous people were born in the area including the politician Paddy Devlin. In the period of urban redevelopment that began in Belfast in 1960s the housing was demolished and replaced with complexes of flats known as Divis Flats.