Newtownabbey borders the shores of Belfast Lough, reaching north from the city of Belfast and stretching up towards the Glens of Antrim. Motorway access to the nearby ferry ports and airports makes Newtownabbey a convenient choice for visitors.
Holiday and business visitors enjoy the semi-rural location whilst being handy to the buzz and nightlife of Belfast City Centre. Set off from Newtownabbey to see the world famous Glens of Antrim and the spectacular Giant’s Causeway. These and many more of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions are within easy travelling distance of Newtownabbey.
The natural landscape makes it an ideal location for all sorts of sporting activities and outdoor pursuits: you can golf, fish, horse ride or enjoy a walk in many of the area’s open spaces and parks. There is plenty for children to do with an excellent range of indoor entertainment and leisure facilities.
Whether you are visiting Newtownabbey on business or on holiday, you will find it an ideal base for your visit to Northern Ireland. Wherever you choose to stay you can be sure of a warm welcome and plenty of ‘craic’!!
History and Culture
Newtownabbey combines a unique mix of rural and urban life. The weekly livestock mart in Ballyclare is testament to the importance of farming to our local community. Each year the Ballyclare May Fair hosts one of the oldest horse fairs in Ireland. The dealing and haggling is intense and horse dealers from all over Ireland make the pilgrimage to Ballyclare on the Tuesday of the May Fair week.
Newtownabbey takes its name from the ancient monastery which originally stood in the field near Whiteabbey hospital. The abbey was built by the Cistercian religious order (Trappist Monks) around 1250 but was damaged by the army of Edward Bruce in 1315. The monastery was eventually destroyed in the 1540’s.
Carnmoney Hill is one of the greatest landmarks within the Borough. It is the site of many souterrains and raths including Dunanney Rath or ‘fort’, which dates back to Celtic times and overlooks Carnmoney Cemetery on the southern face of the hill.
In the graveyard of Carnmoney Parish Church, stands a magnificent Celtic Cross marking the resting place of General William James Smythe (1816-1887). The graveyard is the resting place of many other key figures in local history including Nicholas Grimshaw, found of Ireland’s first cotton mill at Whitehouse in 1784.
In Ballynure, the ancient graveyard opposite Christ Church is a reminder of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. Swift’s Kilroot parish included Ballynure and he regularly preached in the village. The earliest headstone in the graveyard records the death of Elenor Clemens in 1698, an ancestor of Mark Twain, the author.
Carngraney (the Cairn of the Sun) in Roughfort is a prehistoric, 10-chambered, wedge-shaped tomb. Roughfort Motte nearby is a medieval mound and was a site of assembly for the United Irishmen under the command of Henry Joy McCracken before the Battle of Antrim in 1798. An oak tree dedicated to the United Irishmen stands in a field opposite the motte.
The White House is a fine example of a Plantation Bawn (stone fortified dwelling) dating back to the 17th (possibly 16th) century. It stands on the foreshore of Belfast Lough and is now the home of hte Abbey Historical Society. King William III met with his military officers at The White House in Junen1690 prior to the Battle of the Boyne.
Mossley was a flax spinning mill from 1834 up until the 1990’s. Newtownabbey is strongly linked with the industrial revolution and old mill buildings are a feature of the area. The Council has undertaken a massive restoration project at Mossley Mill and the development includes new civic offices and a tourist information centre.
Patterson’s Spade Mill is three miles east of Templepatrick on the Belfast-Antrim Road (A6) and is the last surviving water-driven spade mill in Ireland. The Patterson’s family handed down the art of spade-making from generation to generation. John Patterson was the fourth successive oldest son to be engaged in spade-making when he moved to County Antrim from County Tyrone just after the First World War, attracted there by the good water supply for powering the turbine.
Sentry Hill is a 19th century farmhouse in the Parish of Carnmoney, County Antrim. The house and its contents provide a rare insight into the lives of rural families in Ulster during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sentry Hill was the home of the McKinney family, who first came to Ireland from Scotland in the early 1700’s. William Fee McKinney was born in 1832 and lived at Sentry Hill for most of his life. He built up an outstanding collection of personal diaries, family letters and records of local organisations. The house and farm remained in family ownership until 1996. Since then the site has been conserved and restored by Newtownabbey Borough Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.