Product Code Database
Poleglass () is an area of west Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is the name of a townland, a modern electoral ward, Councillors in the Dunmurry Cross Area and a working class suburb. The townland is situated in the civil parish of Derriaghy and the historic Barony of Belfast Upper. It is mainly an Irish nationalist area.
Due to its proximity to both Belfast and Lisburn, it has become popular with commuters. This has led to the swift growth of housing in the area and a sharp rise in house prices. Addresses in Poleglass are classed as being in Belfast, and the telephone numbers in the area generally start with '90' as with the rest of Belfast.
By the early 20th century the area had become part of the green belt between Belfast and Lisburn and was largely uninhabited.William J. V. Neill, Urban planning and cultural identity, Routledge, 2004, pp. 190–191 Cloona House is a substantial country house, a few miles from Belfast when it was built. It was the childhood home of Beatrice Grimshaw, journalist and adventurer.Gardner, Susan, 1987, A "‘vert to Australianism": Beatrice Grimshaw and the Bicentenary: Hecate. St. Lucia, vol. 13, no. 2 (30 November 1987), p. 31. It was taken over by the Ministry of Defence in 1940, and served as the home of the General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland. In 1980 it was bought by the Catholic Church. It has been used for a community projects and since 2011 has been occupied by Colin Neighbourhood Partnership.
By the year 2000 Poleglass had expanded to around 2,000 dwellings.Bollens, p. 245 This expansion was necessitated by the demolition of parts of the Divis flats on the lower Falls, with the residents rehoused in Poleglass.Donna M. Lanclos, At play in Belfast: children's folklore and identities in Northern Ireland, Rutgers University Press, 2003, p. 165 It is made up of small estates, such as Glenbank, Glenbawn, Merrion Park, Woodside, Glenwood, Glenkeen, Laurelbank, Old Colin, Colinmill, Springbank, Colinbrook, Colinvale, Ardcaoin, Brianswell, Hazelwood, Millpond Glen, Clona Manor, Pembrook Manor and Bell Steele Manor. Each of these vary in their size and age, some being fairly recent developments, others being original housing from when Poleglass first emerged. Notable landmarks include the Dairy Farm Shopping Centre, Footprints Women's Centre, the Church of the Nativity and Colin Glen Forest Park. The home of youth team Colin Valley football is situated behind the Olde Mill and they have won several trophies world-wide. Most memorably, they were winners of the Holland Youth Cup 1997. The Colin Valley senior side are also based at Good Shepherd Road in Poleglass. They compete in the intermediate sections of the Northern Amateur Football League. Colin Valley F.C. at NAFL site
One of the newest developments within Poleglass would be the 'Páirc Nua Chollann' a new park program situated in the Southwest Colin area brought forward by elected Sinn Fein representatives at Belfast City Council to suit the needs of Poleglass's youth. The public was consulted over the naming of the park, with a majority local vote opting for the “full” Irish translation Páirc Nua Chollann. It received 317 responses, and accounted for 42.4 percent of the public vote. It replaced a previous option, the English/Irish hybrid “Páirc Nua Colin.”
Summary justice in the form of punishment beatings and knee cappings dealt out to transgressors by paramilitaries have continued to be a feature of life in Poleglass after the end of the Troubles. One such attack occurred in August 2008 when a 20-year-old man was discovered after being shot in the legs.Anna Eriksson, Justice in transition: community restorative justice in Northern Ireland, Taylor & Francis US, 2009, p. 38 In 2011 a 46-year-old man was seriously injured in the area in a case treated by police as attempted murder although no suggestion was made that this attack was connected to paramilitaries or punishment attacks. Trio bailed over Poleglass murder bid
The West Belfast Taxi Association, which provides a hackney carriage "taxibus" service to the outlying estates beyond the Falls Road, also connects the city centre with Poleglass. Streets of Fear
| +Councillors and Elections !Elections !Councillor !Party | ||
| 2023 | Caomhín McCann | Sinn Fein |
| 2019 | Stephen Magennis (re-elected) | Sinn Fein |
| 2014 | Stephen Magennis | Sinn Fein |
The Lagmore housing estate lies to the south of Poleglass, in the Derriaghy area of Lisburn. Lagmore is a more recent development than Poleglass or Twinbrook and indeed as of 2012 houses are still being built on the estate. Its Catholic church, Christ the Redeemer, was only created as a breakaway parish from St Luke's Twinbrook in 1997 whilst the local primary school of the same name dates to only 1999. Christ the Redeemer Primary School
|
|
