- Doagh
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Doagh (pronounced doh-a, from Irish: Dumhach, meaning "mound")[1] is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is in the Six Mile Water Valley about two miles southwest of Ballyclare. It had a population of 1,130 people in the 2001 Census.
Traditional houses stand in the village centre but the village has gradually grown and new housing estates have been built on its outskirts. The first Sunday school in Ireland was held in Doagh on the site where the Methodist Church now stands. The church was established in 1844.
Contents
Places of interest
On a hilltop near Doagh is a Bronze Age megalith known as The Holestone. Couples used to promise marriage by clasping hands through the hole in the stone. W.G. Wood-Martin in 1902 asserted that it was anciently “connected with aphrodisiac customs.” Even today, newlyweds, together with the wedding party, will visit the stone in observance of the ancient local custom.
People
A memorial to John Rowan stands in the middle of the village. Rowan, a linen spinner who invented a steam driven vehicle later claimed to be the first motorcar, was born in Doagh in 1787 and died in Belfast in 1858.
Transport
Doagh was formerly the terminus of a branch line of the narrow gage Ballymena and Larne Railway. The lne was extended from Ballyclare to Doagh in 1884. Passenger services between Doagh and Ballyclare were withdrawn in 1930, and freight services in 1933.
Sport
- Parkview Hockey Club is based in Doagh.
2001 Census
Doagh is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,130 people living in Doagh. Of these:
- 19.7% were aged under 16 and 18.9% were aged 60 and over
- 48.8% of the population were male and 51.2% were female
- 1.7% were from a Catholic background and 94.2% were from a Protestant background
- 2.3% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
References
External links
Coordinates: 54°45′N 6°05′W / 54.75°N 6.083°W
Categories:- Villages in County Antrim
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