Toome

Toome
Irish: Tuaim
The bridge over the River Bann at Toome (built 2004)
Toome  Toome shown within Northern Ireland
Population	722 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference	H9990
District	Antrim
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ANTRIM
Postcode district	BT41
Dialling code	028
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	South Antrim
NI Assembly	South Antrim
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Antrim

Toome or Toom (from Irish: Tuaim meaning "tumulus") is a small village and townland on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 722.

History

Roddy McCorley, a Presbyterian radical, was a local of the parish in which the village of Toome is included: Duneane. He fought in the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion against British monarchical rule in Ireland but was captured. He was executed on Good Friday, 1800 "near the bridge of Toome", which had been partially destroyed by rebels in 1798 to prevent the arrival of reinforcements from west of the River Bann. His body was then dissected by the British and buried under the road that went from Belfast to Derry until the mid-19th century, when he was dug up and given a proper burial in an unmarked grave. A memorial in honour of McCorley now stands in Toome as you enter the village from County Londonderry.

Economy

• The largest industry in Toome is eel fishing, supplying the European market. The eels come from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean to Lough Neagh to mate. The eel fisheries have been commemorated in a number of poems by Seamus Heaney.
• Within the last century mining for diatomite has developed as extensive deposits of diatomite are found in the Toome area. This mineral was used as an absorbent for gelignite and for toothpaste.
• The ever growing Toome Business Park has been helping the economy of the village for over the past ten years. It attracts many home improvement enthusiasts and property developers each year as it supplies the majority of resources they need for the home from fitting a new bathroom to the finishing touches like furniture and lighting that can be found at the diverse JM Lighting, the creation of local entrepreneur Johnny McPeake.

People

• Motorcycle road racers Michael, John and Eugene Laverty are from Toome.
• Willie John McBride, world famous Rugby Union player, is a native of Toome but now lives in Ballyclare.

Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club in the area is Erin's Own, Cargin.

Transport

• Toome had long been a bottleneck to traffic on the main Belfast to Derry road route. Construction of a bypass began in May 2002 and was completed in March 2004, shortening journey times and relieving congestion in the village.
• Toome railway station was opened on 10 November 1856, shut for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and shut altogether on 1 October 1959.

2001 Census

Toome is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 722 people living in Toome. Of these:

• 27.2% were aged under 16 years and 10.9% were aged 60 and over
• 48.8% of the population were male and 51.3% were female
• 96.3% were from a Catholic background and 2.9% were from a Protestant background
• 6.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

References

• Toome By-Pass
• Palaeoenvironmental Investigations at Toome By-pass
• Culture Northern Ireland
• Toome Business Park
• JM Lighting

External links

• River Bann, Ireland - Toome visitor information
• Landscapes Unlocked - Aerial footage from the BBC Sky High series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland.

See also

• Market Houses in Northern Ireland