Dunmurry
| Dunmurry | |
| County Antrim | |
|---|---|
 Kingsway, Dunmurry | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | J292688 |
| Location: | 54°33’4"N, 6°0’13"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Belfast |
| Postcode: | BT17 |
| Dialling code: | 028 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Belfast |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Belfast West |
Dunmurry is an urban townland, in the very south of County Antrim, and which is to be found between central Belfast and Lisburn. It was once a rural village, but is now effectively a part of Belfast.
The name of the place is from the Gaelic language; Dún Muirígh meaning "Murry's stronghold"[1]
History
Until the end of the 18th century, Dunmurry was largely an agricultural area dominated by wealthy landowners.
In 1817, work began on a new road from Belfast to Dublin through Finaghy and Dunmurry. This replaced the old turnpike road through Upper Malone and Drumbeg to Lambeg, which was linked to the town by Dunmurry Lane.[2]
Throughout the 19th century, Dunmurry became known as one of the many 'linen villages' that were spread across Ulster as many of the local factories and mills were promoted by local entrepreneurs. It remained very much a village until the late 1920s, when developers became keen to seize the greenfield sites for overspill housing and for industry - a phenomenon which became particularly evident after the Second World War.
The largest expansion of the village in the twentieth century came with the advent of the Housing Trust, who, in response to a 1951 order for 1,500 units of social housing to be built between Belfast and Lisburn, purchased a large amount of land at Suffolk and former demesne land at Seymour Hill and Conway. One third of these housing units were reserved for residents of Belfast.[3]
About the village
Backed by the Colin Mountain, with its Colin Glen, Dunmurry is flanked by the River Lagan which, although canalised, still retains the atmosphere of a quiet rural waterway.
All around Dunmurry's housing estates are open landscapes which include the golf course, the Belfast Hills, Moss Side and the Lagan Valley. There are also extensive playing fields in and around Dunmurry..
Dunmurry was the location of the DeLorean factory where the DeLorean DMC-12 was manufactured from 1981 until 1982. About 8,500 DMC-12s were made before production ended in 1982, and as of 2006, 6,500 are estimated to still exist. The DMC-12 was famously featured in the Back to the Future film trilogy.
Sport
- Dunmurry Cricket Club plays in the NCU Senior League.
- Dunmurry Recreation F.C., more commonly known as Dunmurry Rec.
- Dunmurry Young Men F.C.
- Iveagh United F.C.
- Dunmurry Golf Club
Transport links
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Dunmurry railway station, located on the main Belfast–Dublin railway line, opened on 12 August 1839.[4] The local train service offers transport to Belfast, Lisburn, Portadown and Bangor.
Dunmurry village is also regularly serviced by Belfast Metro (Belfast)|Metro]] services.
The M1 motorway passes through Dunmurry, at junction 3 (Black's Road) providing a fast route to and from central Belfast.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Dunmurry) |
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- Dunmurry's Past
- Dunmurry Changing
- Lisburn History Books
References
- ↑ Dunmurry - Placenames NI
- ↑ Some observations on Dunmurry's Past. Robert Comon. 1999.
- ↑ Changing Dunmurry. Robert Common. 2003.
- ↑ "Dunmurry station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
