Annsborough

Annsborough is a small village in County Down which is one of the main residential areas in Castlewellan, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the A25 road between Downpatrick and Newry, about 0.8 kilometres to the east of Castlewellan and 17 kilometres to the south west of Downpatrick. It had a population of 593 in the 2001 Census.

Annsborough, May 2010

It originally developed as a mill village in the valley of the Clarkhill and Ballybannon rivers. Most people look beyond the village to neighbouring Castlewellan for the majority of their local services, as Annsborough is just a few rows of houses. The village has a post office and shop and a playing field. Annsborough Primary School first opened in 1835, making it one of the oldest functional schools in the country. It officially became integrated in 1997, after many years of unofficial integrated education. A variety of light industrial and commercial units provide small-scale local employment in former textile mill buildings in the centre of the village. The village's history and identity are closely linked to Castlewellan, and its distinctive character derives from its natural valley setting within the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the well-landscaped former mill complex in the centre of the village. It is also the home of the mighty Fin.

Culture

The village is the home of the Annsborough Pipe Band. Currently competing in Grade 3A of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, the band has won three World Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2015. Their Drum Corps were also crowned as World Champions in 2007 and 2015.[1]

Demography

Annsborough is classified as a small village or hamlet by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population of less than 1,000). On Census Day (29 April 2001) there were 593 people living in Annsborough. Of these:[2]

  • 29.4% were aged under 16 years and 13.6% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.7% of the population were male and 51.3% were female
  • 93.6% were from a Catholic background and 5.1% were from a Protestant background
  • 5.8% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

See also

References
  1. "Annsborough Pipe Band". band website. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  2. "Area Profile of Annsborough - Based on 2001 Census". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Retrieved 24 February 2009.

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