Dunloy
| |
|---|---|
 Main Street | |
  Dunloy Location withinNorthern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,150 (2021 Census) |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
| |
Dunloy (fromIrishDún Lathaí, meaning 'fort of the muddy place or marsh')[1] is a village andtownland inCounty Antrim,Northern Ireland. It is located 11 miles (18 km) north ofBallymena and 6 miles (10 km) north-west isBallymoney. It is located in thecivil parish ofFinvoy, in the formerbarony ofKilconway. The village had a population of 1,150 people in the2021 Census.[2]
Dunloy lies in the ancient Irishdistrict of "Killimorrie", which is now known as Killymurris.[3][4] Killymurris is claimed as being derived from theIrishCoill Ui Mhuireadhaigh meaning "the wood of Murry".[4] An alternate origin given for Killymurris is that it derives fromChoill Mhuiris meaning "the wood of Morris".[5]
Just south of Dunloy village, in the townland of Ballymacaldrack is "Dooey's Cairn". This opencourt tomb, named after the landowner, is located on the slopes of Long Mountain and overlooks the valley of theRiver Main. The earliest known activity within the tomb is estimated at around 4000BC. Also on Long Mountain is another court Tomb, known as Broadstone.[6]See:List of megalithic monuments in Ireland
In the same townland lies the ancient graveyard of Caldernagh.
Jun2008.jpg)
Dunloy railway station is currently closed on theBelfast-Derry railway line run byNorthern Ireland Railways.
Since 1996 residents have shown opposition toLoyal Order parades in Dunloy. Parades are currently prohibited from entering the centre of the village.[7][8] Loyalists in nearby Ballymena counter-protested by holding weekly protests at a Catholic church situated in the predominantly loyalist Harryville area of Ballymena.[9]
These protests have since ended. There have been many attacks on the localOrange Hall. On 12 July 2005, locals blocked the road in an attempt to stop the Orange Order from marching through the village.
On 11 July 1978, John Boyle, a 16-year-old civilian, was shot dead bySAS soldiers in a graveyard in the village. The previous day he had discovered an IRA arms cache under a fallen tombstone when he was visiting a family grave and reported the weapons to his father. His father then contacted theRoyal Ulster Constabulary who, rather than removing the weapons, passed the information to the British Army, who placed SAS operatives at the site. The next day, Boyle returned to the graveyard (presumably out of curiosity to see if the weapons were still there). He was then shot dead by the British soldiers, who alleged he picked up a rifle and aimed it towards them; however a leaked RUC document confirmed that Boyle was shot in the back and his fingerprints were not on any of the recovered weapons. Two soldiers were put on trial for the killing, but both were acquitted and the Boyle family never received any form of apology from the security forces.[10][11]
On 21 February 1984, 26-year-old Sergeant Paul Oram, a member of theBritish Army (14 Intelligence Company, parent regiment9th/12th Royal Lancers), along with 18-year-old Declan Martin and 21-year-old Henry Hogan, bothCatholic members of theProvisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a gun battle between undercover British Army members and Provisional Irish Republican Army members in Dunloy.[12]
As of the2011 census, Dunloy had a population of 1,194 people (381 households).[13] On census day in 2011:
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under theOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
