Coordinates: 54°35′38″N 5°48′47″W / 54.594°N 5.813°W
| Dundonald | |
| Irish: Dún Dónaill | |
  Dundonald
Dundonald shown within Northern Ireland |
|
| Population | 20,000 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| District | Castlereagh |
| County | County Down |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BELFAST |
| Postcode district | BT16 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | Strangford |
| NI Assembly | Strangford |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down | |
Dundonald (from the Irish: Dún Dónaill meaning "Dónall's stronghold") is a suburb of Belfast located in County Down, Northern Ireland. Most of the suburb is situated in a north- south running valley between the Castlereagh, and the Holywood hills.
It is within the district of Castlereagh. Dundonald's population stands at approximately 20,000.
Dundonald contains a large working-class housing estate, Ballybeen and many new housing developments have sprung up over the past 10 years.
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History
Dundonald refers to a 12th century Norman fort, or Dún, Dún Dónaill, that stood in the town. One of the largest in Ireland, the man-made hill that the fort stood on is still in existence.
Although the mound is commonly referred to as 'the moat' this is, in fact, a corruption of the word 'motte' and refers to the fact that this defensive structure was built in the style of a motte and bailey. The moat, of course, would have been the ditch around the bottom of the mound, if, indeed, one existed. St. Elizabeth's Church is located beside the moat, with the Cleland Mausoleum in the adjacent graveyard.
Dundonald acquired rail links to Belfast and Newtownards in 1850, Downpatrick in 1859 and Newcastle in 1869. The rail link with Belfast encouraged Dundonald to expand as a commuter town, but in 1950 the railway line running through Dundonald was closed. Dundonald station was opened on 6 May 1850, but finally closed on 24 April 1950.[1]
Until the 1960s Dundonald was a small village. A number of property developments, most notably the housing estate Ballybeen, were then built and Dundonald's population rapidly grew.
Places of interest
A 300 year old watermill is located on the Belfast Road in the town. The sandstone building has been extensively restored and includes a brasserie, gift shop and a 35 foot waterwheel, the largest in Ireland.
The Comber Greenway is a direct traffic free link into Belfast and it passes through Dundonald. It is enjoyed by thousands of cyclists and walkers on a daily basis. This area of tranquility is currently under threat by the proposed rapid transport link into Belfast.
In 1986 The Dundonald International Ice Bowl was opened in the town. This originally comprised an Olympic sized ice rink and a 20 lane AMF ten pin bowling alley. In later years "Indianaland", a children's indoor adventure playground was added along with Laser Quest, a simulated combat arena using laser tag equipment. The bowling alley was upgraded to 30 lanes in the 1990s and an extensive miniature golf course has recently been built. The site also contains a David Lloyd fitness centre. In 2006 the area was designated as the Dundonald Leisure Park, as part of the Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015. In 2008 an Omniplex cinema was built on the opposite side of the Old Dundonald Road, together with several leisure and restaurant units.[2]
Cut into the hills either side of the valley are deep, tree covered glens.
The Ulster Hospital is located in Dundonald, known colloquially as "the Ulster".
Sport
From 1928 to 1936, the RAC Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcar races took place on a (closed) road circuit encompassing Newtownards, Comber and Dundonald in County Down, run in a clockwise direction.[3] The pits were still visible up until the 1960s. A popular viewing point was the hairpin bend at the Central Bar in Dundonald. Industrialist and pioneer of the modern agricultural tractor, Harry Ferguson, was instrumental in setting up the race, which was known as the Ards TT.
At the time it was Northern Ireland’s premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people. Although it was a speed event, the entries were handicapped in order to allow cars of very different sizes and capabilities to race against each other on supposedly even terms over 30 laps (35 laps from 1933) of the 13.7 mile circuit. On September 5, 1936, in wet conditions, local driver Jack Chambers lost control of his Riley and crashed into the crowd, killing eight spectators. This tragedy brought an end to nine years of racing over the Ards road circuit.[3][4]
In the late 1990s Glentoran were reported to be considering relocating from their east Belfast home at The Oval to Dundonald, but this move did not occur and was denied by the club. The intended site was close to the Dundonald Ice Bowl.
The town's ice rink, the Dundonald Ice Bowl is home to the Irish Ice Hockey League's Junior Belfast Giants.
People
- Charles McCrea, Top Man
- Vivian Campbell, guitarist Def Leppard
- Davy Larmour, Crusaders footballer
- Colin Murray, BBC Radio 1 DJ
- Peter and Iris Robinson, politicians
- Chris Walker, Glentoran footballer
- Gemma Garrett Model, Current Miss Great Britain and Miss Belfast
- Anne Gregg, BBC presenter and travel writer
- Paul Reid, BBC Northern Ireland Continuity Director
- Paddy Wallace, Rugby union footballer
Gallery
 The Cleland Mausoleum in St. Elizabeth's Churchyard, with the Moat in the background. |
 The Moat. |
 View of Dundonald from The Moat, Belfast in the distance. |
 The former National School (now part of Dundonald Presbyterian Church), Church Green, built in 1844. |
 Rileys leaving the start at the Ulster TT in 1932. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Towns in County Down |
See also
References
- ^ "Dundonald station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ Castlereagh Borough Council
- ^ a b "The Tourist Trophy Races". Culture Northern Ireland. http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?art_id=838. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Memorial revives Ards TT memories". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7567063.stm. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
External links
- St Elizabeth's Church
- Brooklands Primary School, Dundonald
- Located near Dundonald
- Dundonald History including BCDR
- Dundonald International Ice Bowl
- Dundonald Primary School
- BT16plus Magazine
- Dundonald Articles on YouTube
- The End Of The Line Motorcycle Club, Dundonald
- Google map, showing the Moat
- Dundonald Green Belt Association
- Serving Dundonald
- Ards TT 'on-board' lap of the circuit
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