Ballymena

The Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railway between Ballymena and Retreat, both in County Antrim, in what is now Northern Ireland. It operated from 1875 to 1940.

County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, from Irish Aontroim, meaning 'lone ridge') is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,086 square kilometres (1,192 sq mi) and has a population of 651,321, as of the 2021 census. County Antrim has a population density of 211 people per square kilometre or 546 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes, the Giant's Causeway is a unique landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bushmills produces whiskey, and Portrush is a popular seaside resort and night-life area. The majority of Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, is in County Antrim, with the remainder being in County Down. According to the 2001, 2011, and 2021 censuses it is currently one of only two counties of the Island of Ireland in which a plurality or majority of the population are from a Protestant background. The other is County Down to the south.

Ballymena is a former local government district with borough status in Northern Ireland. It was one of twenty-six districts created on 1 October 1973 and covered the town of Ballymena and the surrounding area which includes small towns including Broughshane, Cullybackey, Galgorm, Ahoghill and Portglenone. The borough had an area of 200 square miles (520 km2) and a population of 64,044 according to the 2011 census. The borough had a central location within Northern Ireland and was served by the M2 motorway and with a station on the Belfast-Derry/Londonderry railway line. Belfast International Airport itself was only 18 miles (29 km) away and the Belfast City Airport is 30 miles (48 km) from Ballymena. It was also accessible to the seaports of Larne and Belfast, 20 and 27 miles (43 km) away respectively. As of 2015 it has been replaced by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Ballymena Town Hall is a municipal structure in Bridge Street in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, is a Grade B1 listed building.

Ballymena railway station serves the town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located just outside Ballymena town centre on the Galgorm Road, and is integrated with the local bus station. It is situated on the Derry line between Antrim and Cullybackey. The station is operated by Northern Ireland Railways.

St Patrick's Church is a Church of Ireland church, located on Castle Street, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is the main Parish Church in Ballymena's Anglican parish of Kirkinriola and Ballyclug, and is the main civic church of the town. The current church replaced an older church dating from the early 18th century (of which the tower and graveyard can still be seen) on Church Street, and was opened in 1855. The new church was destroyed by fire in December 1879, and it was restored by the original builder, keeping to the same design. It reopened in 1881.

The Fairhill Centre is a shopping centre located in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It contains over 50 stores and a food court and has parking for over 1,100 cars in a multi-storey car park. It is open Monday to Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, while on Thursday and Friday it is open from 9:00am to 9:00pm. Anchor tenants include Next, New Look and Marks & Spencer. In 2007, Debenhams opened its first Desire fashion store in the Centre. Landlords of the Centre, Corbo Ltd, confirmed the 2009 closure of BHS, which would undergo redevelopment before being handed over to Next and New Look. Both stores opened in 2009. In 2021, Debenhams closed down its store in the centre. Two years later, it was confirmed that Primark would open a store in the former space and also part of the centre, which both would be demolished.

The People's Park is set in the heart of Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The mature setting was donated to the town by Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair in 1870 and extends for 45 acres (180,000 m2) around a lake. It has a children's playground, toddler area, floodlit tennis courts, bowling green and picnic areas. As well as this it has an information desk, vending machines, toilets and duck seed for feeding the park's ducks.

Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender, voluntary grammar school in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1828 as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland.

Ballee (from Irish Baile Aodha, meaning "Hugh’s townland") is a townland, containing a large housing estate off the Antrim Road in South Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland.

The Braid Valley Care Complex is a community hospital and care centre, situated on the Cushendall road in Ballymena in Northern Ireland. It provides services to the people of Ballymena and County Antrim and is managed by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

The Ballymena Showgrounds is a football stadium in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is home to Ballymena United F.C. and Ballymena United Women F.C. It is owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. In addition to men's football a variety of other sports and events are held at the stadium and surrounding facilities, including women's association football, field hockey, and, formerly, stock car racing. The stadium was redeveloped in 2001 at a cost of £30m. This reconstruction included the building of a new stand and new dressing room facilities. In 2010 the Warden Street stand was redeveloped to all-seater standard with a new capacity of 2,200 seats. The stadium now holds 4,100 spectators, but is limited to 3,600 due to health and safety.