Ahoghill or Ahohill is a large village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, 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...

, four miles from Ballymena

Ballymena

Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....

. It has a population of 3,055 people (according to the 2001 Census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

). It is within the Borough of Ballymena.

In early documents, Ahoghill is referred to as Magherahoghill meaning "the plain of the yew forest".

The Diamond forms the heart of the village. Most of the houses are two storey terraces or cottages. The old Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 graveyard just off The Diamond has many interesting memorials.

2001 Census

Ahoghill is classified as an Intermediate Settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with a population of between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,055 people living in Ahoghill. Of these:

• 23.2% were aged under 16 and 14.8% were aged 60 and over
• 48.9% of the population were male and 51.1% were female
• 5.8% were from a Catholic
  Catholic
  The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
  
   background and 92.3% were from a Protestant
  Protestantism
  Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
  
   background;
• 2.4% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Religious Revival

The 1859 Revival

Christian revival

Christian revival is a term that generally refers to a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or many churches, either regionally or globally...

 which swept through Ulster has strong connections with Ahoghill. Thousands, of ordinary folk had their lives changed at this time. Especially notable is the reports of men and women weeping in the streets of Ahoghill such was the palpable moving of the Holy Spirit. On Monday 14 March 1859 a thanksgiving service took place in the new First Ahoghill Presbyterian Meetinghouse at which some of the converts from Connor spoke. It was estimated that 3,000 people attended and the commotion was such that the minister ordered the building to be emptied out of fear of the crowded gallery giving way. The crowd spent upwards of three hours in the Diamond in the rain continuing in prayer and praise. The gallery of First Ahoghill http://www.firstahoghill.org still bears the effects of this event; it is visibly sunken to one side!
Today Ahoghill has three Presbyterian churches, First Ahoghill on Straid Road, Brookside (www.brooksidepc.org)on Brook Street and Trinity on Church Street. There is also St Colmanell's Church of Ireland on Church Street and the Gospel Hall on Glenhugh Road.

The Troubles

On 19 April 1977 William Strathearn (39), a Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 shop owner was shot and killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) while at his home in Ahoghill.Ahoghill native RUC

RUC

RUC may refer to: or Coimbra University Radio, a Portuguese university station* Rapid Update Cycle, an atmospheric prediction system* Renmin University of China* Roskilde University or Roskilde Universitetscenter...

 member and UVF member Billy McCaughey

Billy McCaughey

William "Billy" McCaughey was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary's Special Patrol Group and the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force in the 1970s. He was imprisoned for 16 years for murder from 1980 to 1996...

 was convicted for the murder.

There were also Republican attacks on policemen outside the former village police station. The village has seen frequent sectarian attacks, particularly in 2005 when several Catholic families left., and is considered a staunchly loyalist

Ulster loyalism

Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...

 area.
But Ahoghill has greatly changed in recent years. Due to hard work by many there is now a very different atmosphere in the village and it has won many competitions including 'Village in Bloom' and 'Calor village of the year.'

See also UDA South East Antrim Brigade

UDA South East Antrim Brigade

The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was one of the six paramilitaries of the Ulster Defence Association . It operated in County Antrim, mainly in Newtownabbey, Larne and Antrim. The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions"...

.

Sport

• Football - Ahoghill Rovers F.C
• Football Coaching - Coaching4Christ , is based in Ahoghill and provides football coaching to schools, clubs and organisations all over Ireland.

External links

• Ahoghill Information & Business Directory — Ahoghill Information & Business Directory
• Brookside Presbyterian Church — Brookside Presbyterian Church, Ahoghill
• Cloney Rural Development Association
• St. Mary's GAC, Ahoghill — Ahoghill GAA Club