Cullybackey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cullybackey (from the Irish: Cúil na Baice meaning "the corner of the river bend") is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 4 miles north of Ballymena, on the banks of the River Maine. It is situated in the Ballymena Borough Council area. It had a population of 2,405 people in the 2001 Census.

1 Places of interest
2 People
3 Transport
4 2001 Census
5 Education
6 Controversies
7 References
8 External links
9 See also

[edit] Places of interest

Arthur Cottage, the ancestral home of Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President of the United States is situated just north-west of the village of Cullybackey, on the B62 road from Ballymena. It is a restored 18th century farmhouse with open flax-straw thatched roof. Arthur's father left the townland of Dreen in 1816 and set sail for America. The open hearth fire, clay floor and open dresser are some of the features of the cottage. (from [1])
The old Methodist church on the banks of the river was opened in 1839 as the Original Secession Church. It later became the United Free Church of Scotland. When the United Free clergy withdrew from Ireland in 1923, the congregation became Methodists.
The Cunningham Memorial Presbyterian Church is a church with a large congregation.

[edit] People

Jessica Kurten, Olympic horse rider and representative of Ireland
The family of Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President of the United States, left Dreen, near Cullybackey, in 1815. There is now an interpretive centre, alongside the Arthur Ancestral Home, devoted to his life and times.

[edit] Transport

On 24 March 2000, a woman died after a collision involving a passenger train and her car at a level crossing at Station Road, Cullybackey. None of the 88 passengers on board the train travelling from Belfast to Derry was hurt. See also Cullybackey railway station.

[edit] 2001 Census

Cullybackey is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 2,405 people living in Cullybackey. Of these:

19.5% were aged under 16 and 22.3% were aged 60 and over
47.1% of the population were male and 52.9% were female
1.2% were from a Catholic background and 97.0% were from a Protestant background
3.3% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

[edit] Education

Cullybackey High School is a secondary school in the village. It was established in 1968. Its first headmaster was Mr William Hanna. Buick Memorial Primary School is also located on Main Street.