Carryduff
Coordinates: 54°30′32″N 5°52′19″W / 54.509°N 5.872°W
| Carryduff | |
| Irish: Ceathrú Aodha Dhuibh | |
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 Carryduff shown within Northern Ireland |
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| Population | 6,595 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| District | Castlereagh |
| County | County Down |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BELFAST |
| Postcode district | BT8 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | Belfast South |
| NI Assembly | South Belfast |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down | |
Carryduff (from Irish: Ceathrú Aodha Dhuibh meaning "Black Hugh’s quarter")[1][2][3] is a small town and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Belfast city centre. It had a population of 6,595 people in the 2001 Census.
Most of the settlement lies within the townland of Carryduff, although part of it extends into the neighbouring townlands of Killynure and Mealough. Local churches built there include Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Carryduff Presbyterian Church and Saint Ignatius' Church of Ireland. Carryduff has twice been awarded the Best Kept Small Town by the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.
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[edit] History
One of the earliest references to the settlement is in 1623, where its anglicised name is written as Carrow-Hugh-Duffe.[3] The original village formed where six roads and a river crossed, and is the site of the ancient Queen's Fort Rath. The road south from Belfast (the A24) climbs out of a gap in the Castlereagh Hills, and splits at Carryduff, one fork (the A7) continuing to Downpatrick (via Saintfield and Crossgar), the other fork (A24) continuing via Ballynahinch to Newcastle towards Killkeel. In addition, the road westwards from the Ards Peninsula, Newtownards and Comber (the B178) crosses here en route to Hillsborough in the west. All six roads cross the small Carryduff River here (which flows northwards to eventually join the River Lagan at Minnowburn. The good road connections (note that Carryduff was never at any time connected to the Irish rail network) and proximity to Belfast made the town an ideal site for overspill development from the city in the 1960s. This period saw numerous housing developments (swallowing Queen's Fort Rath), the construction of the Town and Country Shopping Centre, and Carryduff Primary School, leading into the 1970s with the building of the Killynure council estate. Ribbon development along one side of the northbound A24 took place adjacent to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and St. Joseph's Primary School, with the Knockbracken Reservoir on the other side. The 1980s saw expansion continue, with Carryduff becoming a dormitory satellite town for Belfast commuters. Developments continued into the 1990s and included Carryduff Library, Carryduff Shopping Centre, including shops such as Wellworths (now SuperValu and Ireland-wide stationery and book shop Eason (previously NPO). Numerous further housing developments have been erected on former green-field sites, as well as the Lough Moss Leisure Centre. These developments saw the Carryduff River placed inside a covered pipe for much of its journey through the town. Another big development of was the Brackenvale petrol station on the Saintfield Road, which has an Indian Restaurant, a McDonalds and a KFC opposite.
Very little green belt land now remains between Carryduff and the southern border of Belfast, the 1980s having seen the former Matthew Stop Line breached.[citation needed] Carryduff's original raison d'être as a focus of routes on the southern approach to Belfast has led to something of a transport problem, as the road network struggles to cope with commuter traffic, resulting in large amounts of rush hour congestion. Urban Citybus (Metro) routes did not extend out to Carryduff, leaving Ulsterbus services from Belfast to Downpatrick and Newcastle as the only public transport.
Culturally, as it moved beyond its farming roots in the latter half of the 20th century, Carryduff suffered somewhat from the classic suburban satellite syndrome, being rather devoid of interest in the field of the arts. No cinema, theatres or nightclubs existed in the town.
A few attempts have been made to revive the "community spirit" in Carryduff; some of the more notable ones have been the launch of "Carryduff Focus" - a local business directory with a few articles.
The local Carryduff Gaelic Athletic Club is based at Pairc Aodha Dhuibh.
[edit] Demographics
The population of Carryduff on Census day (29 April 2001) was 6595 people. The demographic characteristics of the people living in Carryduff was as follows:
- 26.8% were aged under 16 years
- 14.1% were aged 63 and over
- the average age was 34.0 years (NI average age 35.8 years)
- 56.9% of the population were male and 52.1% were female {?}
- 43.95% were from a Catholic Community Background (Combining Carryduff East and Carryduff West)
- 51.85% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' community background (Combining Carryduff East and Carryduff West)
- 8.4% were born outside Northern Ireland
- 1.7% were from an ethnic group other than white
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
[edit] See also
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