Poleglass
Encyclopedia
Poleglass is the name of an electoral ward of Belfast City Council
and a mainly nationalist
/republican
housing estate on the outskirts of West Belfast
, Northern Ireland
.
Due to its close proximity to both Belfast (By Senior Cheif JP Keatings Of Andersons town Belfast
and Lisburn
, it has become popular with commuters; this has led to rapid expansion of housing developments close to the area, and a dramatic increase in house prices equal to many other areas in Northern Ireland. Poleglass is also an electoral ward of Belfast
.
Addresses in Poleglass are classed as being in Belfast, and the telephone numbers in the area generally start with '90' as with the rest of Belfast.
Poleglass, like many other mainly working-class housing estates, has tended to suffer from anti-social activity, particularly car theft. This tends to be greater in the areas in the south of the estate (Laurelbank to Glenkeen) which have been given the collective name 'The Dark Side' by residents as a tongue-in-cheek reference to this.
Notable landmarks include the Dairy Farm Shopping Centre, Footprints Womens Centre, the Church of the Nativity and Colin Glen Forest Park. The most frequented establishment is Cloona Manor. There is also a local bar named the Olde Mill. Colinvalley football club's home pitch,is situated behind the Olde Mill and they have won several trophies world-wide. Most memorably, they were winners of the Holland Youth Cup, in the mid 1990s. They also reached the semi-finals of the Bobby Sands cup in 2008.
of Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital
used to have residence in Poleglass, there also a road named after him, Pantridge Road.
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
and a mainly nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
/republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
housing estate on the outskirts of West Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Due to its close proximity to both Belfast (By Senior Cheif JP Keatings Of Andersons town Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, it has become popular with commuters; this has led to rapid expansion of housing developments close to the area, and a dramatic increase in house prices equal to many other areas in Northern Ireland. Poleglass is also an electoral ward of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
.
Addresses in Poleglass are classed as being in Belfast, and the telephone numbers in the area generally start with '90' as with the rest of Belfast.
Origins
Until the development took place, Poleglass was rural land on the outskirts of the city. This is where the name comes from - an Pholl Glas means "the green hollow". Despite lying beyond Belfast's development "stop line" population pressures eventually led to the land being allocated for housing. Unionist politicians mounted a campaign in the mid 1970s to pressurise the government to stop the plans, as they believed that the proposed estate's proximity to West Belfast would lead to it becoming a nationalist ghetto. The campaign eventually failed, and building began in the area in 1977, with the first areas, Old Colin and Colinmill opening in 1980. The first residents moved in on the morning of 28 November 1980.Current State
At the minute, Poleglass is home of Normal Familiy but also has a high number of "Joy Riders" who cause nothing but trouble to the area. It has also been filled with the Travelling community, One Local Member "Cheif Commander D.F Willis has this to say on the matter "I personally love the travelling community, bring them all in! they brighten the place up" on a further note constable's M.Neeson and R.Mullan have gone as far as saying "They have brought horror and terrorism to the streets of Poleglass especially the streets of an estate called Woodside" which is situated in the Poleglass area. Further notice has been brought to the attention of the housing executive board by J.O'hare and C.Gray to get the travelling community evicted with immediate affect due to and i quote "Lead being stole off roofs and Boilers being stole from homes. furthur inspection is going into this matter from the local political advisors and is due to come on UTV in early february for a debate on the politics show.Present
It is made up of small estates, such as Glenbawn, Merrion Park, Woodside, Glenwood, Glenkeen, Laurelbank, Old Colin, Colinmill, Springbank, Colinbrook, Colinvale, Ardcaoin and Brianswell. Each of these vary in their size and age, some being fairly recent developments, others being original housing from when Poleglass first emerged.Poleglass, like many other mainly working-class housing estates, has tended to suffer from anti-social activity, particularly car theft. This tends to be greater in the areas in the south of the estate (Laurelbank to Glenkeen) which have been given the collective name 'The Dark Side' by residents as a tongue-in-cheek reference to this.
Notable landmarks include the Dairy Farm Shopping Centre, Footprints Womens Centre, the Church of the Nativity and Colin Glen Forest Park. The most frequented establishment is Cloona Manor. There is also a local bar named the Olde Mill. Colinvalley football club's home pitch,is situated behind the Olde Mill and they have won several trophies world-wide. Most memorably, they were winners of the Holland Youth Cup, in the mid 1990s. They also reached the semi-finals of the Bobby Sands cup in 2008.
Notable residents
The inventor of the portable cardiac defibrillator, Dr Frank PantridgeFrank Pantridge
Professor James Francis "Frank" Pantridge, MD, CBE was a physician and cardiologist from Northern Ireland who transformed emergency medicine and paramedic services with the invention of the portable defibrillator....
of Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
The Royal Victoria Hospital is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
used to have residence in Poleglass, there also a road named after him, Pantridge Road.