Ballymena

Ballymena
Ballymena Town Hall, with the new Braid Arts Centre behind
Ballymena is located in Northern Ireland
Ballymena
Ballymena
Location within Northern Ireland
Population31,205 (2021 census)
Irish grid referenceD1003
• Belfast28 miles (45 km) SE
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBALLYMENA
Postcode districtBT42–BT44
Dialling code028 25
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Antrim
54°52′N 6°17′W / 54.86°N 6.28°W / 54.86; -6.28

Ballymena (/ˌbæliˈmnə/ BAL-ee-MEE-nə;[1] from Irish: an Baile Meánach [ənˠ ˌbˠalʲə ˈmʲaːn̪ˠəx], meaning 'the middle townland')[2] is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 census, making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland by population.[3] It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.

The town was built on the Braid River, on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a Saturday market in perpetuity. Surrounding villages are Cullybackey, Ahoghill, Broughshane, and Kells-Connor.

  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, p. 66, ISBN 9781405881180
  2. ^ "An Baile Meánach/Ballymena". Logainm.ie. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Settlement 2015". NISRA. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.