Lisburn
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- For the council, see Lisburn City Council.
| Lisburn Lios na gCearrbhach |
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| Ex Igne Resurgam "I will arise out of the fire" |
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| Location | ||
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| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Antrim & County Down |
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| District: | Lisburn | |
| Area: | ? km² | |
| Population (2001) | 71,465 | |
| Website: www.lisburn.gov.uk | ||
Lisburn is a city split between County Antrim & County Down, Northern Ireland. The River Lagan denotes the county boundary. Lisburn had a population of 71,465 people in the 2001 Census. Unlike most cities which are urban, Lisburn city is primarily a rural farming area, and is infact an amalgamation of many small towns and villages, including, Moira, Glenavy, Dunmurry, Drumbo as well as the administrative headquarters of Lisburn.[1] Most residents still consider Lisburn a borough, and indeed for many of those outside the town of Lisburn the term "city" is very unpopular[citation needed].
The city of Lisburn takes its name from its main town Lisburn, which seats its local administrative offices. The ’Lis’ element in Lisburn derives from Lisnagarvy, a townland incorporated in the modern city and whose name is from the Irish: Lios na gCearrbhach, meaning fort of the gamesters or gamblers.
Lisburn is also known as the birthplace of the Irish linen industry, which was established in 1698 by Louis Crommelin and other Huguenots. An exhibition about the Irish linen industry is now housed in the Irish Linen Centre, which can be found in the town’s old Market House in Market Square.
The borough was made a city in 2002 (along with Newry) as part of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations. The city is a popular shopping centre, with a wide range of retail outlets both in the Lisburn town centre and in the out-of-town Sprucefield and Sprucefield Park centres. Also in the town centre is the Irish linen centre and Lisburn Museum, which is free to enter and contains displays about the history of the linen industry (which was a key industry in the history of Ulster).[2]
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[edit] Administration
The unionist-controlled Lisburn Council recently decided to fly the Union Flag from its offices all year round, a decision which has angered many of the city's 20% [3] [4] nationalist population.
Lisburn is home to many important political, civil and military bodies with associated infrastructure. Including the headquarters of Down Lisburn Trust, one of the largest of Northern Ireland's Health and Social Services trusts, Thiepval Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade headquarters are also located in the town.
In elections for the Westminster Parliament it is located within Lagan Valley constituency and West Belfast.
[edit] History
Negotiations preceding the American War of Independence between Ben Franklin and Lord Hillsborough took place at the parish of Hillsborough in Lisburn.
[edit] The Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in Lisburn, which includes a list of incidents in Lisburn during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
[edit] People
Sir Richard Wallace made quite an impact on Lisburn. His bequests include the Wallace Park and Wallace High School. In 1872 he donated drinking fountains, known as Wallace fountains, two of which can still be seen near the cricket pitch in Wallace Park, another in front of Lisburn Linen Museum in Bow Street and another in Castle Gardens. Wallace was created baronet in 1871 and was Member of Parliament for Lisburn from 1873 to 1885.
[edit] Sport
[edit] 2001 Census
Lisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA)and is classified as a Large Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 18,000 and 75,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn. Of these:
- 25.4% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over
- 52.1% were female and 47.9% were male
- 54.2% were from a Protestant background and 41.7% were from a Catholic background
- 4.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.[5]
[edit] Education
- Friends School
- Lisnagarvey High School
- Wallace High School
- Forthill College Lisburn
- St Patricks High School
- Central Primary School
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Sr/sr2002/20020231.htm Office of Public Sector Information]
- ^ Culture Northern Ireland
- ^ [[1]] Lisburn election resuls from NI social and political archive
- ^ http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/ni/popul.htm The Roman Catholic population of Lisburn as of the 2001 census was 33.2%, but equating religious affiliation with political affiliation should be done with caution
- ^ NI neighbourhood Information Service
[edit] See also
- List of towns in Northern Ireland
- List of villages in Northern Ireland
- List of Irish Towns with a Market House
