Aghalee

Aghalee
County Antrim
Holy Trinity Church of Ireland, Aghalee
Location
Location:	54°31’13"N, 6°16’16"W
Data
Population:	774  (2001)
Post town:	Craigavon
Postcode:	BT67
Dialling code:	028
Local Government
Council:	Lisburn and Castlereagh
Parliamentary constituency:	Lagan Valley

Aghalee is a village and townland in County Antrim, found three miles from the south-east corner of Lough Neagh on the main road between Lurgan and Antrim Town, and about eight miles west of Lisburn. The village stands on the steep, wooded slopes of Friary Glen and is beside the now disused Lagan Navigational Canal.

At the 2001 census, Aghalee had a recorded population of 774.

The name of the village is from the Gaelic language; believed to be from Achadh Lí, meaning "field of calves".

Aghalee has several places of worship, a community hall, Orange Hall, GP Surgery, filling station and shop, a pharmacy and fast food takeaway. The village is also home to a vocational training centre, a nursing home and a children's day nursery. Bus services link the village with Lisburn, Antrim, Lurgan and Belfast.

History

The Lagan Navigational Canal near Aghalee

Much of the early development of Aghalee was due to its strategic location beside the Lagan Navigational Canal which opened at the end of the 18th century. The village became a distribution centre for the surrounding area and developed as an important lock station on the Lagan Navigation, as it was one of the last sizeable settlements before the canal entered Lough Neagh. While the canal operated, trade continued on a significant scale. When the canal finally ceased to operate in 1954, the area began to decline in commercial importance. The population of the settlement decreased considerably in the latter part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century.

The village retains many of the 18th century structures and buildings belonging to the canal. From the 1970s Aghalee developed as a commuter area for Belfast and Craigavon and this was accompanied by significant population growth. In recent times, development has occurred on the lands to the west of the village core.

Aghalee is celebrated in the Orange song, 'The Aghalee Heroes'. This is a ballad about an event in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. A garrison stationed in the village of Aghalee was ordered to march to Lurgan to engage with the rebels. They did so and won a decisive victory.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aghalee)

• Aghalee