Ballybeen
Ballybeen (from Irish Baile Bín 'Bín's townland'),[1] also known as Ballybeen Housing Estate, is the second-biggest housing estate in Northern Ireland. It is in the village of Dundonald, on the outskirts of east Belfast. It lies within the townlands of Ballybeen and Carrowreagh, between the Upper Newtownards Road and Comber Road. Started in 1963, and mostly completed by 1971, the estate consists of some 2,400 dwellings. Most of the street names are Scottish in origin (Enler and Brooklands being the exception) as the architects who designed the estates layout mostly came from Scotland. It lies within the Borough of Castlereagh and the Belfast East Parliamentary and Assembly constituency. In the 2001 census the area had a population of 9,170.[2]
History
[edit]Ballybeen is mainly a Protestant area, although before 1970 and the onset of The Troubles, about 20 per cent of the population were Catholic.[3] During The Troubles the estate became a loyalist stronghold. Andy Tyrie, Ulster Army Council leader and commander of the Ulster Defence Association in the 1970s, was from the estate.[4]
The estate was named after the nearby townland of Ballybeen, home to the Robb family of farmers and landowners. The Robb family house, a stately home, which then became the Northern Ireland Housing Executive offices, was knocked down when the Housing Executive relocated to their new premises at the junction of Robbs road and Church Road in the late 1980s. The only surviving vestiges of the once-grand gardens are a scattering of mature trees and a handful of structural paths that still trace the original Victorian layout.[5]
"Esker", the house that was built to accommodate the growing Robb family still stands today at the junction of Rank road and Church Road.
The farmland owned by the Robbs is now Ballybeen Housing Estate, which was built in the 1960's when the Robbs sold around 220 to 250 acres of this land in Ballybeen to the Northern Ireland Housing Trust.[6]
This transition marked the evolution of Dundonald from a quiet agricultural outpost into a bustling suburban town. Robbs Road, now a vital thoroughfare, originated as a private access lane for the family farm; its name was officially designated by the Castlereagh Council to honor the Robb family’s long-standing heritage in the area.[7]
Sport
[edit]43rd Dundonald F.C, situated in the Ballybeen Sport and Wellbeing Hub on Brooklands Road play in the Down Area Winter Football League.[8] The sport and wellbeing hub contains facilities such as a 4G pitch, changing rooms, showers etc.[9]
Dungoyne F.C. is a football team based in Dungoyne, Ballybeen established in 1976.[10]
The Ballyoran Community Centre has indoor facilities for Netball, Volleyball, Bowls, 5-a-side football and Basketball. The community centre also features an IFA grade 3G pitch.
Simply Judo's Dundonald branch is located in the Enler Centre, and is the largest and most successful judo club in Northern Ireland. It teaches classes for children and adults.[11][12]
Marching bands
[edit]Pride of Ballybeen Flute Band is a marching band based in the estate formed in 2014. They are a blood and thunder style band that parade in Orange walks, including The Twelfth and Battle of the Somme Commemoration Parade.[13][14]
A notable historic loyalist marching band from the area was the Ballybeen Defenders Flute Band. Following a fatal accident in the early 1970s involving one of its members, the band was renamed the Kingsley Kennedy Memorial Flute Band in his honor. On September 8, 1975, another member of the band and member of the UDA, Andrew "Andy" Craig, was killed during a sectarian shooting at his workplace in Belfast.[15][16] Following his death, the band was renamed a second time to become the Kennedy-Craig Memorial Flute Band, commemorating both deceased members. The band subsequently disbanded, but a permanent memorial plaque dedicated to Andrew Craig was erected within the estate.[17]
Notable residents
[edit]- Andy Tyrie, Ulster Defence Association commander and Ulster Army Council leader.[18]
- BBC Radio 5 Live personality (and former BBC Radio 1 DJ) Colin Murray lived in the estate for a few years in Enler Park.[19]
- George Cassidy, jazz musician, lead saxophonist in the Regal Accordion and Saxophone Band, and music teacher to Van Morrison. He lived in Ballybeen in the 1960's in Morven Park.[20]
- Noel Brotherson, footballer, played for Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Bury and Northern Ireland He played in the 1982 World Cup.[21]
- Glenn Ferguson, footballer, played for Ards F.C. and Linfield F.C., as well as international caps with Northern Ireland.[22]
- John Lowey, boxer, he was the inaugural IBO Super Bantamweight Champion of the World.[23]
References
[edit]- ↑ PlaceNames NI
- ↑ Belfast Healthy Cities
- ↑ Carr, P.A. The Most Unpretending Of Places (White Row Press Ltd: Dundonald, 1990) pp.214-215
- ↑ Young Tigers and Mongrel Foxes, Paddy Harte
- ↑ "More memories from 80 years ago of 21st birthday during WWII Blitz". Belfast News Letter. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ↑ "Geograph:: Ballybeen, Dundonald [4 photos] in J4273". www.geograph.ie. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ↑ Crawford, W.H. (1988). "'The most unpretending of places': a history of Dundonald, County Down. By Peter Carr. Pp 252. Belfast: White Row Press. 1987. £5.95". Irish Historical Studies. 26 (102): 215. doi:10.1017/s0021121400009688. ISSN 0021-1214.
- ↑ "Meet the teams". DAWFL. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ↑ "Ballybeen Improvement Group". pitchbooking.com. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ↑ Fullerton, Gareth (11 June 2024). "Belfast grassroots football club cooking up a storm after major investment". Belfast Live. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Our schedule". ClassForKids. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "Simply Judo VI Northern Ireland Hit Excellent New Milestone". British Judo Association. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Activity, Extramural (11 January 2023). "Pride Of Ballybeen". Paddy Duffy Collection. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Five band parades in NI this weekend – all the details including locations, routes, and lists of bands taking part". Belfast News Letter. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulster.ac.uk. CAIN. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Charges". Belfast Telegraph. 12 September 1983. p. 7.
- ↑ Activity, Extramural (27 February 2007). "These Good Men Have Give Their Lives". Peter Moloney Collection. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Andy Tyrie: Former UDA leader dies in his 80s". BBC News. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Fame And Shame, Stuart Bailie
- ↑ "Funeral Times | Death Notice George CASSIDY". www.funeraltimes.com. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ↑ Activity, Extramural (3 April 2017). "Ballybeen Dream". Extramural Activity. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Glenn Ferguson - N.I. Football Legend talks Life, Linfield and Scoring goals". Apple Podcasts (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "'To do that in Mexico, oh my God... when he came back to the corner I was saying 'what the f**k are you doing?'". The Irish News. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
