Moira, County Down

Moira (in Irish: Maigh Rath, ie plain of the ring forts) is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, between Lisburn and Lurgan. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,682 people.

Moira has a town hall, built about 1800, a wide main street and 18th century blackstone houses divided by carriage archways. It was largely built by Sir Arthur Rawdon, whose famous formal gardens have vanished. Some of the castle foundations can still be seen in the public park, formerly part of the grounds of Moira demesne, home of the earls of Moira. On the north side, a long grassy avenue terminates in St John's parish church, a building of 1725 where John Wesley preached in 1760 and where William Butler Yeats, grandfather to the poet WB Yeats, was curate in 1835. Berwick Hall is a thatched yeoman's house of 1700. The market house was built in 1810 and is supposed to have marked the completion of the village.

Nowadays Moira is a thriving small town with an ever growing population. In the mid nineties Moira won numerous awards for "Best Kept Small Town" and attracted people from miles around to see its flower displays in the Demesne and the Main Street. However, in recent years this has not been the case.

Moira has a close knit community. The heart of the town revolves around the two bars, 'The Four Trees' and 'Pretty Mary's' (formerly 'Norman's'). Moira also has a strong sense of religion, mainly Protestant, with no less than 5 established churches being located in and around the town.

History

Moira was the scene of a victory in AD637 by the King of Tara over Comgall, King of Ulster.

2001 Census

Moira is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,682 people living in Moira. Of these:

• 24.3% were aged under 16 years and 13.8% were aged 60 and over
• 48.8% of the population were male and 51.2% were female
• 13.0% were from a Catholic background and 82.6% were from a Protestant background
• 1.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Transport

• Moira railway station was opened on 18 November 1841. The station is the oldest building on the Northern Ireland Railways network today.

References

• County Down.com
• Culture Northern Ireland

See also

• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• Market Houses in Northern Ireland

External links

• Moira Baptist Church - a church with a heart - History of Moira pages
• Moira Railway Station
• Irish Baptist College
• Moira Market House