Ballyhornan

Ballyhornan
Ballyhornan is located in County Down
Ballyhornan
Ballyhornan
Location within County Down
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDOWNPATRICK
Postcode districtBT30
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Down
54°18′N 5°33′W / 54.3°N 5.55°W / 54.3; -5.55

Ballyhornan (from Irish Baile an Eoirna meaning ‘the town land of the barley’) is a village and townland in eastern County Down, Northern Ireland, located along the coast of the Irish Sea. It has about 1,000 residents[1] and located less than 10 miles from Downpatrick, County Down. It lies near the site of the former RAF Bishopscourt installation, which closed in 1990, and much of the housing outside the boundaries of the traditional settlement (such as Killard Square) was used by RAF airmen.[2][3]

The core of the village is located at the extreme northern end of the Ardglass ward.[4]

View along the coast from the beach at Ballyhornan.

Ballyhornan was founded in 1636, and a popular explanation of its name in Irish is Baile Uí Chornáin — Ó Cornáin's townland.[5] More recent research contends that the origin is Baile Torannan, or Toranan's town, referring to a sixth-century saint whose feast day is celebrated 12 August.[6]

After the closure of Bishopscourt, much of the housing was turned over to civilians, who bought a large portion of land whole. This, however, has led to problems of road maintenance, street lighting and other issues.[1]

The village currently experiences subpar sewer capacity, and residents continue to petition Northern Ireland politicians for funding for a new sewer system.[1]

Debate has taken place in the Northern Ireland Assembly about finding solutions to the situation in Ballyhornan; some politicians object to spending public funds in upgrading infrastructure because the roadways and sewage systems are privately owned, and they fear a knock-on effect would cause many private developments to seek similar relief.[3]

In the past, the village was considered a "deprived" area.[7] Changes have happened in the community in recent years, such as the opening of the Ballyhornan Family Centre and projects the center undertakes.[8][9] Development is ongoing, and Down District Council has approved plans for a petrol station and garage in the village.[10]

  1. ^ a b c "Ballyhornan: The 'lost village' of County Down - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Ards & Down 2015 | Down District: Ballyhornan | Planning Portal". Planningni.gov.uk. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b "BBC - Democracy Live - Neglect of Ballyhornan/Bishopscourt". News.bbc.co.uk. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  4. ^ "NINIS Home Page". Ninis.nisra.gov.uk. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  5. ^ [1] Archived March 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Lecale Miscellany No. 11 - 1993". Lecalehistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  7. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110629123859/http://archives.tcm.ie/downdemocrat/2002/02/26/story388.asp. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ "This Website is ungoing Maintenance". Ballyhornanfamilycentre.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  9. ^ [2] Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Planning Victory For Community Around Ballyhornan at Cadogan Enright". Enright.ie. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2015.