Dromore, County Down

The name Dromore is an anglicisation of the Irish Druim Mór (modern Irish Droim Mór) meaning "large ridge", with historic anglicisations including Drumore, Drummore and Drummor.[3]

The town features a well-preserved Norman motte and bailey that was constructed by John de Courcy in the early 13th century, shortly after the Norman invasion of Ireland.[4] Known locally as "the Mound", the fort occupies a prominent site to the east of the town centre and has views along the valley of the River Lagan. Dromore remained under Anglo-Norman control until it was captured and destroyed by Edward Bruce during the Irish-Bruce wars of 1315.

Dromore market square in 1904

It was the seat of the diocese of Dromore, which grew out of an abbey of Canons Regular attributed to Saint Colman in the 6th century. This was united in 1842 to the Diocese of Down and Connor.[5] The diocese was then divided in 1945, with the Diocese of Connor being independent, and the Diocese of Down and Dromore remaining united.

The town and cathedral were wholly destroyed during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and the present church was built by Bishop Jeremy Taylor in 1661, who is buried there. Also buried in the cathedral is Thomas Percy, another famous bishop of the diocese, who laid out the fine grounds of the palace.[5] A monument to Thomas Percy stands in the Town Park.

Jacobites under command of Richard Hamilton, and rival Williamites fought a battle here on 14 March 1689. The battle took place about a mile out of the town on the Milebush Road and was known as the Break of Dromore. The Jacobites routed the Williamites and they fled in disorder, leaving 400 dead. After this Break of Dromore the Jacobites did not meet any resistance while advancing northwards and occupying Belfast.

Dromore had its own railway station from 1863 to 1956. The Banbridge, Lisburn and Belfast Junction Railway (BLB) through Dromore opened in 1863.[6] Its line was a branch that joined the Ulster Railway main line Knockmore Junction, giving Dromore a direct link to Lisburn and Belfast Great Victoria Street.[6] In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the new Great Northern Railway, which took over the BLB company in 1877.[7] In 1953 the railway was nationalised as the GNR Board,[8] which closed the line through Dromore on 29 April 1956.[9]

Today

Market Square and the Town Hall (centre)

The Dromore Town Centre Development Plan, published in July 2003, outlined that of the 190 units within Dromore Town Centre, over one quarter were vacant. This is in spite of recent population growth in the town; a result of the proximity to the A1 road and resultant commuting access to Greater Belfast.

The green-field development in recent years has mostly been around the edges of the town, and the doughnut effect has led to these houses being disconnected from the town centre. The population of Dromore tends to travel to nearby Banbridge or Sprucefield to shop, which has caused the high levels of obvious dereliction however more local shops are opening thus the number of people travelling beyond the town to shop is decreasing.

The plan highlights the under use of the River Lagan as a resource in the town, as well as the poorly used public space around the Town Hall in the Market Square. The square's 18th Century layout is protected, however it is identified as a traffic problem, which is exacerbated by poor parking provision and enforcement of parking restrictions. In 2008, the area surrounding the Town Hall was cleared to facilitate the construction of leisure space. The project was completed in six months and now has benches and pathways in place of a small car park. The general aesthetics of the site have also been improved.

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 6,003 people living in Dromore (2,439 households), accounting for 0.33% of the NI total.[2] The population increased 20.8% from the 2001 Census figure of 4,968.[10] Of these:

• 23.37% were aged under 16 years and 13.88% were aged 65 and over;
• 52.17% of the usually resident population were female and 47.83% were male;
• 75.81% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion and 15.89% belong to or were brought up in the Christian Catholic denomination ;
• 70.10% indicated that they had a British national identity, 31.53% had a Northern Irish national identity and 7.08% had an Irish national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity);
• 36 years was the average (median) age of the population;
• 7.37% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 3.18% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaelic).

The A1 Dromore by-pass in 2011. The disused railway viaduct can be seen on the left

Dromore is well served by the Translink Goldline Express bus service 238, running between Belfast and Newry. Translink Ulsterbus service 38 links the town with Belfast, Banbridge and Lisburn (bypassed by express services). However the 38 can stop at all urban and rural bus stops, adding roughly an extra thirty minutes to the Belfast bound journey.

It is a short drive from Dromore to Belfast (about 20–25 minutes off-peak), Lisburn and Banbridge due to the high-quality A1 road/M1 motorway. Belfast International Airport is about 40 minutes away using the A26 (Moira-Antrim road) while Dublin Airport is around seventy to eighty minutes away using the A1/M1. The town, which has been on the main Belfast to Dublin route for centuries, was bypassed in 1972.[11]

The area is also linked with Craigavon (in particular, Lurgan) and Ballynahinch, with the B2 Lurgan Road and B2 Ballynahinch Road respectively. Surrounding villages, such as Kinallen, Dromara and Donaghcloney, are served by unclassified rural routes.

In 2009 a grade-separated junction featuring an underpass was constructed at the junction of the B2 Banbridge Road, A1 dual-carriageway and the Rowantree Road. It was one of four junctions that were grade separated along the route as part of £30 million of safety improvements.[12] It followed the successful construction of a similar style junction at the B2 Hillsborough Road/A1 junction on the northern end of the town.

The dialling code for Dromore, like the rest of Northern Ireland, is 028. Local landline numbers typically appear in the format 028 9269 xxxx. The town's local telephone exchange falls under the Lisburn telephone exchange code, which prior to the Big Number Change in 2000, used area code 01846.

Railways

The remnants of the platform at the former Dromore Railway Station.

Dromore railway station was part of the GNR which was closed by the Ulster Transport Authority.

The station was opened on 13 July 1863.[13]

The station closed on 30 April 1956.

Dromore sprang up within the townland of the same name. The following is a list of townlands that are now within the town's urban area, alongside their likely etymologies:[14]

• Balleny, historically Ballyeany (from Irish: Baile Uí Éinigh, meaning "O'Heaney's townland")
• Ballymacormick (from Irish: Baile Mhic Cormaic, meaning "MacCormick's townland")
• Ballymaganlis, historically Ballymagarly (from Irish: Baile Mhig Amhalaidh, meaning "MacAwley's townland")
• Ballyvicknacally (from Irish: Baile Mhic na Caillí, meaning "townland of the hag's son")
• Drumbroneth, historically Drumbrony, Drumfrony (from Irish: Druim Bróncha/Bhrónaí, meaning "Brónach's ridge")
• Lurganbane (from Irish: Lorgain Bhán, meaning "long white ridge")

Past and present notable residents include:

• Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Northern Ireland politician, DUP MP for Lagan Valley
• Harry Ferguson (1884–1960), inventor who made the tractor practical
• Sir Clarence Graham, Bt., former Ulster Unionist Party politician
• Melissa Hamilton, ballet dancer
• Tyrone Howe, Irish rugby international and former local UUP Councillor
• David Humphreys, Irish rugby international
• John Leslie (1814–1897), first-class cricketer
• Drew Nelson (1956–2016), former Grand Secretary of the Orange Order
• Sam Ferris, Olympic marathon runner

• Primary Schools
  • Dromore Central Primary School: opened 1938
  • St. Colman's Primary School
• Secondary Schools
  • Dromore High School: opened 1958.
    formerly Dromore Secondary Intermediate School

Despite the town's small population, Dromore has a multitude of sport teams and venues.

The most prominent sports in the town are association football and rugby union, with cycling, hockey, lawn bowls, and athletics having some popularity also.

• Banbridge Road (Ban Road) Presbyterian Church[21]
• Dromore Elim Pentecostal Church[22]
• Dromore Reformed Presbyterian Church[23]
• Dromore Methodist Church[24]
• Dromore Free Presbyterian Church[25]
• Dromore Church of Ireland[26]
• Dromore Baptist Church[27]
• Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church[28]
• First Dromore Presbyterian Church

• Dromore, County Down (civil parish)
• List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland
• List of localities in Northern Ireland by population
• Market Houses in Northern Ireland

• Baker, Michael H.C. (1972). Irish Railways since 1916. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0282-1.
• Hajducki, S. Maxwell (1974). A Railway Atlas of Ireland. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-5167-3.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dromore, County Down.

• Dromore Mound
• Dromore and District Local Historical Group Journal