Doagh
| Doagh | |
|---|---|
 Corner stone | |
  Doagh Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,388 (2011 Census) |
| • Belfast | 11 mi (18 km) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Doagh (/ˈdoʊx/ DOHKH; from Irish Dumhach, meaning 'mound')[1] is a village and townland in County Antrim, Ireland. It is in the Six Mile Water Valley, about two miles south-west of Ballyclare, and had a population of 1,388 people in the 2011 Census.[2] It is known as Doach in Scots.[3]
Traditional houses stand in the village centre but the village has gradually grown and new housing estates have been built on its outskirts.
Places of interest
There is evidence of settlement in the vicinity at least from the Iron Age, and possibly the Bronze Age - as represented by the Holestone, a Bronze Age whinstone megalith known as The Holestone, and traces of numerous souterrains in the surrounding fields. Couples used to promise marriage by clasping hands through the hole in the stone, a convention that can be traced back to about 1830.[4] W.G. Wood-Martin in 1902 asserted that it was anciently “connected with aphrodisiac customs.” Even today, newlyweds, together with the wedding party, will visit the stone in observance of the ancient local custom.
The first Sunday school in Ireland was alleged to have been held in 1770 [5] in Doagh on the site where the Methodist Church now stands, although there is no firm evidence to support this claim. The Methodist church was established in 1844.
There are a number of buildings of architectural interest either in or proximate to the village. These include Fisherwick Lodge - a hunting lodge built for the Marquess of Donegall (1805), and Holestone House. Industrial architecture is well represented in some of the remaining mill buildings - the best at nearby Cogry. [6][7]
The remnants of a Norman motte can be found on the southern outskirts of the village at Lindsays Corner roundabout, overlooking the Six Mile Water River.
The nearby cemetery at Kilbride contains the 19th century Stephenson Mausoleum - a listed building modelled off the Taj Mahal - and numerous gravestones reflecting a history of emigration and war. Also in the cemetery is the headstone of William Gault, a United Irishman and founder of the aforementioned Sunday school. [8][5]
Transport
Doagh was formerly the terminus of a branch line of the narrow gauge Ballymena and Larne Railway. The line was extended from Ballyclare to Doagh in 1884. Passenger services between Doagh and Ballyclare were withdrawn in 1930, and freight services in 1933.
Sport
- Parkview Hockey Club is based in Doagh.
- F.C. Ballynure
References
- ^ a b "Doagh, County Antrim". placenamesni.org. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Doagh Settlement". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved 23 June 2021.
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
- ^ a b "Scots Online Dictionary". Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b Zucchelli, Christine (2007). Stones of Adoration. Sacred stones and Mystic Megaliths of Ireland. Cork: The Collins Press. p. 126.
- ^ a b c "Stephenson Mausoleum". Department for Communities. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
Right hand tombstone to the back of the mausoleum is that of William Gault, schoolmaster of Doagh, who was a United Irishman and is believed to have started one of the earliest Sunday schools in Ireland in 1770. Rowan (local nineteenth century engineer) made the doors of the mausoleum and they carry his name (memorial HB21/02/002). Describing it as a 'miniature Taj Mahal in stone', Girvan believes it could have been the inspiration of one of the family who served in the Dragoons and saw the original on his travels (p 20).
- ^ a b Brett, Charles; O’Connell, Michael (1996). Buildings of County Antrim. Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and the Ulster Historical Foundation. ISBN 978-0900457470.
- ^ a b McCutcheon, W.A. (1980). The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland. Belfast: Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland / HMSO. ISBN 978-0337081545.
- ^ a b Girvan, Donald; Rowan, Alistair J. (1970). Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in West Antrim. Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. ISBN 978-0950062181.
