County Hall, Ballymena

The Braid River (Irish: Abhainn na Brád) is a river in the borough of Mid and East Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is a tributary to the River Main. Historically, the valley in which the river flows divided the boundaries between the parishes of Skerry and Rathcavan in the 19th century. Flowing in a south-easterly direction for the entirety of its course, the river rises in the Antrim Hills and follows the A42 road through Broughshane to Ballygarvey; it then flows through Ballymena before flowing into the River Main near the Tullaghgarley townland. On 10 February 2018, a five-year-old boy died after falling into the river and being swept four miles downstream. He died in hospital.

Gracehill Moravian Church is the church of the Moravian settlement of Gracehill in Northern Ireland. A prominent feature is the raised pulpit, reflecting the importance Protestant churches give to preaching. The organ, which is in one of the galleries, is also prominent.

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.

Galgorm is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, about 1 km west of Ballymena. It is part of the civil parish of Ahoghill. Administratively, it is in the Borough of Ballymena. The townland encompasses the village of Galgorm and much of the area between Ballymena and Galgorm itself. It is bordered by the townlands of Artibrannan to the north, Lisnafillon and Fenaghy to the west and Ballykennedy to the south. It is on the River Main. The village itself sits predominantly where the Galgorm Road, Sand Road and Fenaghy Roads meet and it has a small number of independent businesses and shops On the outskirts of Galgorm and just prior to the old Moravian settlement of Gracehill sits the old Gallahers/JTI plant, which when vacated became an extension of Wrightbus, a major employer in the Ballymena Area. Wrightbus was taken over by JCB in early 2020 and remains a large employer in the area The majority of the townland is from a Protestant background and for the best part is a residential extension of Ballymena, a central Northern Ireland shopping town. The townland has two separate Orange Order lodges, Galgorm Loyal Orange Lodge and Galgorm Parks Loyal Orange Lodge The boundaries for the townland are the previous estate boundaries of Galgorm Castle which was constructed in 1618 by Sir Faithful Fortescue and is recognised as one of the finest examples of early Jacobean architecture in Ireland. Fortescue sold it in 1645 to Dr. Alexander Colville, from whom it passed to his son Sir Robert Colville, and later by descent to Earl Mount Cashell. The grounds and castle have been used for filming and TV projects, including The Frankenstein Chronicles featuring Sean Bean. The castle itself is now on the site of Galgorm Castle Golf Club, home to the Northern Ireland Open. In September 2020, the course hosted the Irish Open after the event was rescheduled and moved from Mount Juliet Golf & Spa Hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bannside was a single-member county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

Gracehill is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies about 3 km from Ballymena and is in the townland of Ballykennedy (from Irish: Baile Uí Chinnéide). It is part of the Borough of Mid & East Antrim. The village is unique in Ireland as a Moravian planned settlement. The name Gracehill reflects the religious aspirations of the founders. There were also similarly-named settlements in other countries, for example Gracehill in the United States. Gracehill was granted UNESCO World Heritage site status in 2024.

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.

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.

The River Main or Maine (Irish: An Mhean) is a river in Northern Ireland, flowing through County Antrim.Former Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill took the title "Baron O'Neill of the Maine" when he was made a life peer.

Ballymena ( BAL-ee-MEE-nə; from Irish: an Baile Meánach [ənˠ ˌbˠalʲə ˈmʲaːn̪ˠəx], meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 census, making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland by population. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town was built on the Braid River, on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a Saturday market in perpetuity. Surrounding villages are Cullybackey, Ahoghill, Broughshane, and Kells-Connor.

Artibrannan is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, near Ballymena. It is situated in the historic barony of Toome Lower and the civil parishes of Ahoghill (by 1851) and Craigs (by 1891) and covers an area of 112 acres. The name derives from the Irish: Ard tigh(e) Branain (height (or hill) of Branans) or Ard-tighe-Breannain (the height of Brennan's house). The population of the townland decreased during the 19th century:

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.