The recorded history of the Ballymena area dates to the
Early Christian period, from the fifth to the seventh centuries.
Ringforts are found in the
townland of Ballykeel, and a site known as Camphill Fort in the townland of Ballee may also have been of this type. There are a number of
souterrains within a 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) radius of the centre of Ballymena. Two miles (3.2 kilometres) north in the townland of Kirkinriola, the medieval parish church and graveyard show signs of Early Christian settlement, including a souterrain. Also in 1868, a gravedigger found a large stone slab on which was carved a cross with the inscription ord do degen. This refers to Bishop Degen, who lived in Ireland during the seventh century. This stone is now in the porch of
St Patrick's Church of Ireland, at the end of Castle Street. At the end of the fifth century, a church was founded in Connor, five miles (8.0 kilometres) south of Ballymena. This was followed by a monastery at Templemoyle, Kells. In 831,
Vikings invaded the area and burned the church.
In the late 12th century, the
Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland and conquered much of what is now eastern Ulster, creating the
Earldom of Ulster. They built a
motte-and-bailey fort in what is now the Harryville area of Ballymena. It is one of the best-surviving examples of this type of fortification in Northern Ireland.
On 10 May 1607, during the
Plantation of Ulster,
King James I of England granted the native Irish chief, Ruairí Óg MacQuillan, the Ballymena Estate. The estate passed through several owners, eventually passing into the possession of William Adair, a Scottish
laird from Kinhilt in southwestern Scotland. The estate was temporarily renamed "Kinhilstown" after Adair's lands in Scotland. The original castle of Ballymena was built in the early 17th century, situated to take advantage of an ancient ford on the River Braid. In 1626
Charles I confirmed the grant of the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, giving him the right to hold a market at Ballymena every Saturday. He hired local Irish as workers on the estate; they served as tenant farmers for much of the next two centuries and more. Galgorm nearby was granted to Sir
Faithful Fortescue. In 1618 he built the Castle, which still exists.
During the
Irish Rebellion of 1641, the local Ballymena garrison were defeated by Irish rebels in the battle of Bundooragh.
Ballymena's first market hall was built in 1684.[4]
By 1704, the population of Ballymena had reached 800. In 1707, the first
Protestant (
Church of Ireland) parish church was built. In 1740, the original Ballymena Castle burned down. The
GracehillMoravian settlement was founded in 1765.
During the
1798 rebellion, Ballymena was occupied from 7 to 9 June by a force of around 10,000
United Irishmen. They stormed the market hall, killing three of its defenders.[4]
The first modern
Roman Catholic Church in Ballymena was consecrated in 1827. By 1834 the population of Ballymena was about 4,000. In 1848 the
Belfast and Ballymena Railway was established. In 1865
Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (late
Baron Waveney) started building Ballymena Castle, a magnificent family residence, in the Demesne. The castle was not completed until 1887.
In 1900, Ballymena assumed urban district status.[4] Under the provisions of the
Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903, the Adairs disposed of most of their Ballymena estate to the occupying tenants in 1904. The old market hall building, which also contained the post office and estate office, burned down in 1919. The new
Ballymena Town Hall was officially opened by the
Duke of Abercorn on 20 November 1928.[6]
The Urban District Council petitioned for borough status and the Charter was granted in December 1937. The first meeting of councillors as a Borough Council was held on 23 May 1939. The population of Ballymena reached 13,000. Ballymena Castle was demolished in the 1950s. In 1973, the Urban and Rural District Councils were merged to create
Ballymena Borough Council. Following local government reorganisation in 2015, the Borough Council was merged with the Boroughs of
Carrickfergus Borough Council and
Larne Borough Council.[7]
During the
Second World War, Ballymena was home to a large number of evacuees from
Gibraltar. They were housed with local families.[8]
In the 1950s
St Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena was the Regimental Training Depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th). Many young men who had been conscripted on the United Kingdom mainland, along with others who had volunteered for service in the British Army, embarked upon their period of basic training in the Regimental Depot, prior to being posted to the regular regimental battalions. Many of these young men were to serve in Korea, Cyprus and with the British Army of the Rhine. In 1968 due to a series of government austerity measures, the remaining three Irish regiments, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (27th) Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th) and the Royal Irish Fusiliers (89th) merged to become the Royal Irish Rangers. Early in the 1990s the
Royal Irish Regiment, whose Regimental Headquarters was at St Patrick's Barracks, was granted the Freedom of the Borough.
Like other towns in Northern Ireland,
Ballymena was affected by the Troubles, a lengthy period of religious and partisan tensions and armed confrontations from the 1960s until 1998. A total of eleven people were killed in or near the town by the IRA and various
loyalist groups.
During the later half of the 20th century, Ballymena, like many other once prosperous industrial centres in Northern Ireland, experienced economic change and industrial restructuring; many of its former factories closed. Since the 2010s Ballymena has seen a decline in its retail and manufacturing sectors. Both
Michelin and JTI have left the area. Local firm
Wrightbus is also struggling, citing a downturn in orders. It is hoped that the creation of a manufacturing hub at the former Michelin site will attract businesses to the area.
21st century
In March 2000, the actor
Liam Neeson, a native of Ballymena, was offered the
freedom of the borough by the council, which approved the action by a 12–9 vote. Neeson declined the award, citing tensions, and affirmed he was proud of his connection to the town.[9]Ian Paisley was eventually made a freeman of Ballymena in December 2004 instead.[10]
Ballymena is described by some observers as being at the heart of Northern Ireland's equivalent of the
Bible Belt.[11][12] It has a large Protestant majority. In the early 1990s the
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)-dominated town council banned a performance by the
ELO Part II in the township, saying they would attract "the four Ds Drink, Drugs, Devil and Debauchery".[13] The Council banned the screening of Brokeback Mountain (2005), starring
Jake Gyllenhaal and
Heath Ledger, as it featured a homosexual relationship. An impersonator of comic
Roy 'Chubby' Brown was also banned.[14]
The majority of the town's Catholic population is situated around the Broughshane and Cushendall Road areas. Recently there has been tension in the Dunclug area of the town which now has a Catholic majority. These tensions have been associated with internment bonfires and the flying of republican flags; the town has tried to reduce tensions.[15]
Recreational drugs have been a major problem in the town, earning it the moniker "the drugs capital of the North".[16][17]
In 2011 it was revealed that Ballymena has the third-highest level of legal gun ownership in Northern Ireland.[18]
On census day (21 March 2021) there were 31,205 people living in Ballymena.[3] Of these:
51.6% of the usually resident population were female, and 48.4% were male.[26]
59.53% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)', 27.44% belong to or were brought up 'Catholic', 1.06% belong to or were brought up in an 'other religion' and 11.97% did not belong to or were not brought up in any religion.[27]
55.98% indicated that they had a British national identity,[28] 31.28% had a Northern Irish national identity,[29] 12.31% had an Irish national identity,[30] and 16.19% indicated an 'other' national identity.[31] (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
17.74% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 6.18% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).[32][33]
2011 Census
On census day (27 March 2011) there were 29,551 people living in Ballymena, accounting for 1.63% of the NI total,[23] representing an increase of 2.9% on the 2001 Census population of 28,717.[24] Of these:
19.20% were aged under 16 years and 17.61% were aged 65 and over.
52.00% of the usually resident population were female 48.00% were male.
65.76% belong to or were brought up 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic Christian) (including Christian related)' and 26.71% belong to or were brought up Catholic Christian.
65.51% indicated that they had a British national identity, 27.66% had a Northern Irish national identity and 11.25% had an Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity).
39 years was the average (median) age of the population.
17.67% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 5.66% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).
Education
There are a number of educational establishments in the town. These include:
The
Ballymena and Larne Railway was another narrow gauge railway. The line opened in 1878, but closed to passengers in 1933 and to goods traffic in 1940. Between 1878 and 1880 the line terminated at Harryville, but was then extended to the town's main railway station.
Liam Neeson, the Oscar-nominated actor, was born and raised in Ballymena and was awarded the Freedom of the Town on 28 January 2013. The Key to the City was also provided pending approval from the magistrate.
James Nesbitt, actor, born 15 January 1965 in Ballymena.
Roger Casement, human rights activist in the Congo Free State and Peru, and Irish nationalist, was educated as a youth in this town. His father died and was buried here; relatives on both sides of his family cared for Roger and his brother Tom when they were orphaned.
Ian Humphreys, Ulster and Ireland fly-half and brother of David.
Sharon Hutchings (née McPeake, born 22 June 1962) is a former high jumper from Northern Ireland. She won a silver medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh with a lifetime best of 1.90 metres (6 feet 3 inches)
Mary Peters, Northern Irish Olympian, was raised in Ballymena.
Jamie Smith, Irish Schools, Irish Universities, Ulster Rugby and Gwent Dragons ex-Rugby Union player. Raised in Ahoghill. Has the nickname "Big Ahoghill".
Nigel Worthington, former Northern Ireland, Ballymena United and
Sheffield Wednesday left-back, as well as being the former international team manager.
Bryan Young, Ulster and Ireland international rugby player.
^1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey For a discussion on the accuracy of
pre-famine census returns see
JJ Lee "On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and
Cormac Ó Gráda in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov 1984), pp. 473–488.
Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Antrim V111, Vol 23, 1831–5,1837–8. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queens University Belfast.
ISBN0-85389-466-3