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Moira, County Down

 

 
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Moira, County Down
 
 
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Moira (in Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
: Maigh Rath, i.e. plain of the ring forts) is a small town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
 in County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
, between Lisburn
Lisburn

Lisburn is the third-largest city in Northern Ireland, south-west of and adjoining Belfast. An Anglicise version of the Irish name, Lisnagarvey, is used in the title of schools and sporting clubs in the area....
 and Lurgan
Lurgan

Lurgan , is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland with a population of approximately 38,000. Lurgan is situated in the Craigavon Borough Council area, to the south of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland....
. In the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom....
 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; however, several street and estate names bear his surname.






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Moira (in Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
: Maigh Rath, i.e. plain of the ring forts) is a small town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
 in County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
, between Lisburn
Lisburn

Lisburn is the third-largest city in Northern Ireland, south-west of and adjoining Belfast. An Anglicise version of the Irish name, Lisnagarvey, is used in the title of schools and sporting clubs in the area....
 and Lurgan
Lurgan

Lurgan , is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland with a population of approximately 38,000. Lurgan is situated in the Craigavon Borough Council area, to the south of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland....
. In the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom....
 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; however, several street and estate names bear his surname. Some of the castle foundations can still be seen in the public park, formerly part of the grounds of Moira demesne
Demesne

In the feudal system, demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, that was retained by a lord for his own use - as distinguished from land "alienated" or granted to others as freehold tenants....
, 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
John Wesley

John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian Christian theologian who founded the Arminianism Methodism. The Wesley Methodist Movement began when Wesley took over open-air preaching started by George Whitefield at Hanham, Kingswood, and Bristol....
 preached in 1760 and where William Butler Yeats, grandfather to the poet WB Yeats
William Butler Yeats

File:William Butler Yeat by George Charles Beresford.jpgWilliam Butler Yeats was an Irish people poet and dramatist and one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature....
, 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
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
, with no fewer 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
Comgall mac Domangairt

Comgall mac Domangairt was king of D?l Riata in the early 6th century. He was the son of Domangart R?ti and grandson of Fergus M?r. The Annals of Ulster report his death in 538, 542 and 545, the Annals of Tigernach in 537....
, King of Ulster
Ulster

Ulster is one of the four Provinces of Ireland of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster. The name is sometimes informally used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, one of the countries of the United Kingdom, although Northern Ireland covers only two thirds of Ulster....
.

2001 Census


Moira is classified as an intermediate settlement by the (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
    Catholic

    Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek language adjective , meaning "whole" or "complete". In the context of Christianity ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages....
     background and 82.6% were from a Protestant
    Protestantism

    Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
     background
  • 1.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed


For more details see:

Transport

  • Moira railway station
    Moira railway station

    Moira railway station serves Moira, County Down in County Down, Northern Ireland. Despite the station serving the County Down village, the station itself is located in County Antrim, the neighbouring Lagan Canal being the boundary....
     was opened on 18 November 1841. The station is the oldest building on the Northern Ireland Railways
    Northern Ireland Railways

    NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland....
     network today.


See also


  • List of villages in Northern Ireland
    List of villages in Northern Ireland

    This is a list page for villages in Northern Ireland.The defines a town as having a population of 4,500 or more. Settlements of 2,250 to 4,500 people are defined as intermediate settlements, villages are defined as having populations of 1,000 to 2,250 people and small villages and hamlets are defined as having fewer than 1,000 people ...
  • List of towns in Northern Ireland
    List of towns in Northern Ireland

    This is a list page for towns in Northern Ireland. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation, more commonly known as a town charter, approved by the monarch....
  • Market Houses in Northern Ireland
    Market Houses in Northern Ireland

    Market houses are a notable feature of many Northern Ireland towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation making for a most interesting feature of the streetscape....


External links