Straid
Encyclopedia
Straid is a small village in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
, about 5 km east of Ballyclare
, and about 9 km inland from Carrickfergus
. It lies within the Newtownabbey Borough Council
area. It used to be described as falling within the barony of Belfast
, the local townland is "Straidlands". Straid has a congregational church, an Orange hall, and a primary school.
cist
graves nearby. There are other pre-historic earthworks threatened by the expansion of the village. The name of the village is an Anglicisation
of the Irish Gaelic word Sraid, meaning "street", as it was originally just a street. The village has historically developed along Main Street, which contains many original buildings. In recent years development has been concentrated between Main Street and Irish Hill Road. Straid Primary School and Straid Congregational Church are in the village, the inscription on the church reads "Ebenezer, erected 1816, rebuilt and enlarged 1837" There is also a freemason’s hall. The local river is called the Brang-Tang but the etymology is unknown
Although a small village, it gave the name "Straidlands" to the "townland
" of the area. Dominating the village is the "Irish Hill" named after an army camp. A mining village for many years, there is an outcrop of bauxite
or Aluminium
ore in Irish hill. The woods at the top of the hill have a distinctive gap where a hurricane in the early 1920s blew down part of the forest.
. There was culture in the form of Straid Art Gallery, until it shut. Now there is none.
. Cows are now a common sight in the area, as are sheep. Corn was ground in Straid Corn Mill; this was built and operated by the Weir family, who were the village millers from the 17th century onwards. The mill is now at Cultra Heritage Museum. To the North of the village towards Carrickfergus, an important part of local heritage was recently destroyed with the demolition of the old flax mill to make way for new housing. This caused some controversy at the time. A famous local group that reflects the agricultural background of the area is "Straid young farmers" club.
Note: 'Straid Corn Mill' is actually from Straid, Ballymena and not as suggested here, from the village of Straid, Ballyclare.
fisheries, a 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) lake where the record trout caught stands at 17 lb (7.7111 kg)
"The nineteenth century, formal, vernacular buildings in Main Street and the form of adjacent spaces; Straid House, an early nineteenth century two storey dwelling and shop with classical detailing, which stands at a bend in Main Street at the north end of the village, closing the vista from Seskin Road to form a village square; The Gothic inspired Straid Congregational Church (1816); The eighteenth century cottages located along Main Street, opposite the Church; and The cottages and two storey houses, along Seskin Avenue/Seskin Park, set in a mature landscape of gardens and rubble stone boundary walls"
at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
. He was awarded the OBE in 1983 for his dedicated work on mutilation injuries during the troubles. He was also the chairman of medical staff.
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...
, about 5 km east of Ballyclare
Ballyclare
Ballyclare is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,770 people in the 2001 Census...
, and about 9 km inland from Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
. It lies within the Newtownabbey Borough Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Newtownabbey has a population of over 80,000 and is on the north shore of Belfast Lough just immediately north of Belfast. The Borough was founded in 1958 as a result of an Act of Parliament passed in 1957 and...
area. It used to be described as falling within the barony 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...
, the local townland is "Straidlands". Straid has a congregational church, an Orange hall, and a primary school.
History
The village is of pre-Norman antiquity. Human habitation goes back in the area many thousands of years, and of great local excitement were the discovery of Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
cist
Cist
A cist from ) is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East....
graves nearby. There are other pre-historic earthworks threatened by the expansion of the village. The name of the village is an Anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Irish Gaelic word Sraid, meaning "street", as it was originally just a street. The village has historically developed along Main Street, which contains many original buildings. In recent years development has been concentrated between Main Street and Irish Hill Road. Straid Primary School and Straid Congregational Church are in the village, the inscription on the church reads "Ebenezer, erected 1816, rebuilt and enlarged 1837" There is also a freemason’s hall. The local river is called the Brang-Tang but the etymology is unknown
1800s
Straid was the centre of the 1859 Christian revival under the then-pastor James Bain. Tom Shaw writes: "The cockfighting pit, which had been a place for vice of the worst kind, became a preaching point where many were won to Christ. Public bars began to close, and profanity and drunkenness, which characterized many lives, were set aside as the Spirit of God moved through the community." James Bain describes a typical revival Sabbath: "Our Sabbath services are continuous, from nine in the morning until ten at night. We are engaged from nine to twelve in prayer meetings for the young, from twelve to two in public service, from two to four in prayer meetings, from five to eight in the evening service, and finally in our evening prayer meeting. The evening services at the church became so well attended that the only suitable place to assemble was outdoors. At one of these evening gatherings, some of the new converts gave testimony, and Bain preached two sermons. The whole audience was gripped with a sense of intense spiritual anxiety. Numbers cried for mercy, and not a single soul departed from that scene until morning." In 1860 over 3000 people gathered for an open-air service on a hill near the village.Contemporary description
"STRAID is a village less than 2 miles east of Ballyclare, in the barony of Lower Belfast. It had a population of 111 in 1881. Bauxite mines are worked in the immediate vicinity. From Straid Hill there is a fine view of the surrounding country. The land is good for dairying. Crops: potatoes, oats, and some flax. Straid is in the postal district of Ballyclare. Letters should be addressed, Straid, Ballyclare"Although a small village, it gave the name "Straidlands" to the "townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
" of the area. Dominating the village is the "Irish Hill" named after an army camp. A mining village for many years, there is an outcrop of bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
or Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
ore in Irish hill. The woods at the top of the hill have a distinctive gap where a hurricane in the early 1920s blew down part of the forest.
Recent history
In 2003 the village was expanded by 63 houses, creating a new housing estate at "village hill" - Irish Hill Road. For many years the only two shops in the village were a spirit grocer and Wilson’s shop and animal food stuffs. The spirit grocer (a precursor to the modern off licence) was shut when the only alcohol licence for the village was bought by the church to keep Straid "dry" - the nearest pub is slightly over a mile away in the neighboring village of BallynureBallynure
Ballynure is a village near Ballyclare in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 677 people in the 2001 Census.The village is effectively split in two by the A8 main road, which runs from Belfast to Larne. A stream called the Ballynure Water runs through it and the houses are a...
. There was culture in the form of Straid Art Gallery, until it shut. Now there is none.
Population
In the 2001 Census Straid had a population of 312 people. In the 1881 Census the population was 111. The population has recently doubled with the building of a new housing estate.Straid Primary School
Straid Primary School was recently commended in a government review for its "caring atmosphere, committed and hard-working staff, pleasant children who are willing to learn and co-operate... ...and the strong support of the community."Farming
One of the main crops that made the area rich was flaxFlax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
. Cows are now a common sight in the area, as are sheep. Corn was ground in Straid Corn Mill; this was built and operated by the Weir family, who were the village millers from the 17th century onwards. The mill is now at Cultra Heritage Museum. To the North of the village towards Carrickfergus, an important part of local heritage was recently destroyed with the demolition of the old flax mill to make way for new housing. This caused some controversy at the time. A famous local group that reflects the agricultural background of the area is "Straid young farmers" club.
Note: 'Straid Corn Mill' is actually from Straid, Ballymena and not as suggested here, from the village of Straid, Ballyclare.
Fishing
One of the big attractions to the area is fishing - Straid Fisheries is one of the top troutTrout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fisheries, a 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) lake where the record trout caught stands at 17 lb (7.7111 kg)
Restrictions on future development
The Planning Service in Northern Ireland has listed the following key features which must be taken into account when developing the area of Straid:"The nineteenth century, formal, vernacular buildings in Main Street and the form of adjacent spaces; Straid House, an early nineteenth century two storey dwelling and shop with classical detailing, which stands at a bend in Main Street at the north end of the village, closing the vista from Seskin Road to form a village square; The Gothic inspired Straid Congregational Church (1816); The eighteenth century cottages located along Main Street, opposite the Church; and The cottages and two storey houses, along Seskin Avenue/Seskin Park, set in a mature landscape of gardens and rubble stone boundary walls"
Film
There was a film called simply Straid made in the late 1980s, and a young local girl Gillian Sempey, is visible dashing across a background in a red cagoul. Her family has lived in the area for many generations.Notable natives
Willoughby Wilson OBE (1923–2004), was a surgeonSurgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
The Royal Victoria Hospital is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
. He was awarded the OBE in 1983 for his dedicated work on mutilation injuries during the troubles. He was also the chairman of medical staff.
See also
- List of villages in Northern Ireland
- List of towns in Northern Ireland