Coleraine is at the lowest bridgeable point of the River Bann, where the river is 90 metres (300 ft) wide. The town square is called 'The Diamond' and is the location of Coleraine Town Hall. The three bridges in Coleraine are the Sandelford Bridge, Coleraine Bridge and the Bann Bridge.[3]
Coleraine Bridge Built 1844Sandelford Bridge Built 1975
The town has a large catchment area and is designated as a "major growth area" in the Northern Ireland Development Strategy.
History
Coleraine c. 1890
Neolithic period
Coleraine has some of the oldest evidence of human settlement in Ireland.[4]Mount Sandel dates from approximately 5935 BC.[5]
Early Middle Ages
The 9th Century hagiography, Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick, records how the town got its name. When Patrick arrived in the neighbourhood, he was received with great honour and hospitality by the local chieftain, Nadslua, who offered him a piece of ground on which to build a church. The spot was next to the river Bann and was overgrown with ferns, which were being burned by some boys to amuse themselves. This incident led to the area being called Cúil Raithin ('nook of ferns'), which was later anglicised as Colrain, Colerain and Coleraine. It was translated by Colgan into Latin as Secessus Filicis.
The town was one of the two urban communities developed by the London Companies in County Londonderry in the Plantation of Ulster at the start of the 17th century. In particular, The Honourable the Irish Society was made responsible for much of Coleraine and it remains so today.
The slightly skewed street pattern of Coleraine's town centre is the legacy of that early exercise in town planning, along with traces of the lines of the ramparts that provided the Plantation town with its defences.
War of the Two Kings (1689–91)
During the War of the Two Kings (1689–91) Coleraine was a centre of Protestant resistance to the rule of James II. Richard Hamilton's Irish Army made an attempt to seize the town but was repulsed. The Protestants were forced to abandon the town shortly afterwards and withdrew to Derry.
With some industrialisation, the expansion of the river port, and the development of the railway, the town expanded throughout the 19th century.
The population doubled due to a number of factors: major industrial development on extensive suburban sites, including a substantial distillery producing Coleraine Whiskey; the expansion of commerce; and the development of sporting and recreational facilities.
World Wars & the 20th Century
The town sent soldiers to both world wars. The town's population then expanded significantly after the Second World War.
In 1968 the New University of Ulster opened in the town (later the 'New' was dropped from the name) and became a major employer. The university also attracted students to the area.
There has been a steady expansion of the urban area from the mid-20th-century compact town of less than 2.25 square miles (5.8 km2), to the present much more dispersed area of about 7 square miles (18 km2). Since 1980s growth has continued but at a slightly more modest pace. In the twenty years to 2001 the town's population increased by 22% to approximately 25,000 but the rate of increase fell from 12% in the 1980s to 8% in the 1990s.[6]
The Troubles
Pre-1998 Belfast Agreement
During The Troubles a total of 11 people were killed in or near Coleraine prior to 1998.
The second most fatal incident occurred on 2 October 1975 when four members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) were killed when their own bomb went off as they travelled through Farrenlester near Coleraine.[8]
Separately, a non-fatal van bomb was detonated by the IRA on 13 November 1992 in the town centre. It resulted in extensive property damage and several major buildings were being demolished.[10]Coleraine Town Hall required major structural work, and was not reopened until August 1995.[11]
Post-1998 Belfast Agreement
Coleraine has continued to experience sectarianism and paramilitary activity following 1998.
In 2001 John Henry McCormick (25), who was believed to be Catholic, was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in his home. His partner and children were in the house on the Ballysally estate.[12]
In 2002 a teenager with no paramilitary connections was killed by when he picked up a pipe bomb in the Heights estate in the town.[13]
There is reason to believe that there is still substantial sectarian violence and paramilitary activity in Coleraine.
In 2021, the PSNI announced it had set up a special task force due to the rise in paramilitary shootings in the town.[14]
In 2023, A man in his 30s was shot four times after being hooded and taken out of the town in a planned attack by a gang of masked men.[15]
In 2024, the PSNI appealed for information after shots were fired at a house in the Ballysally estate.[16]
Economy
Northern Ireland is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with a GDP per capita lower than Bulgaria.[17] Coleraine sits within the second poorest council areas in Northern Ireland, both in terms of relative poverty and absolute poverty.[18]
There are widespread concerns that the high street in Coleraine has seen a steady decline in shops closing.[19]
Historically a number of products were made in the town, such as Coleraine Cheddar and Coleraine Whiskey. However, over the years the production of these goods has moved out of the town:
Coleraine once had some 35 pubs, which has now been reduced to 5. Many of the pubs have substantial political affiliations.[citation needed]
Transport
Overlooking the River Bann
Coleraine railway station opened on 4 December 1855 and shares facilities with the town's Ulsterbus bus depot. Passenger service is delivered via the Belfast-Derry railway line along the scenic shore of Lough Foyle and the Coleraine–Portrush branch line. The Belfast–Derry railway line is to be upgraded to facilitate more frequent trains and improvements to the permanent way such as track and signalling to enable faster services.
The railway station was closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965.[22]
Demography
Coleraine has a population of approximately 25,000 people, making it a relatively small town within the official classification of a 'large town' (i.e. with a population between 18,000 and 75,000 people).[23]
According to the Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, the area is the second poorest in Northern Ireland both in terms of relative poverty and absolute poverty.[18] Northern Ireland itself is one of the poorest countries in Europe, therefore Coleraine being one of the poorest parts of NI means many people in the area face substantial deprivation.[17]
Coleraine is home to one of the largest Polish communities in Northern Ireland (Approx. 2% of the Coleraine population are Polish, compared to a NI average of 1.25%).[24]
2021 census
On Census day (2021) there were 24,483 people living in Coleraine.[25] Of these:
18.78% were aged under 16, 63.25% were aged between 16 and 65, and 17.97% were aged 66 and over.[26]
51.88% of the usually resident population were female and 48.11% were male.[27]
61.72% are or were brought up Protestant (including other Christian-related denominations), 24.38% are or were brought up Catholic, 1.33% are or were brought up in an 'other' religion, and 12.57% did not adhere to or weren't brought up in any religion.[28]
61.91% indicated they had a British national identity,[29] 36.74% indicated they had a Northern Irish national identity,[30] 11.17% indicated they had an Irish national identity,[31] and 8.35% indicated they had an 'other' national identity.[32] (respondents could indicate more than one national identity)
15.65% had some knowledge of Ulster Scots and 4.44% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge).[33][34]
The poetical illustration The Coleraine Salmon Leap by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836, refers to an abundance of salmon in the river here in those times, and to a considerable sport derived therefrom. It accompanies an engraving of a painting of the salmon leap by Thomas Mann Baynes.[36]
Coleraine is near the Causeway Coast tourist route, attracting over 2 million annual visitors.[37] A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant's Causeway, is a 25-minute bus ride away. The distillery village of Bushmills is served by buses from the town and there is a narrow-gauge steam train running in the summer from Bushmills to the Giant's Causeway. Also north of Coleraine is the scenic coastal town of Portstewart, with a sandy beach and coastal walks. Portrush is part of the Borough.
North-west of Coleraine lies the small village of Castlerock, with a beach which is essentially a continuation of the beach at Portstewart, separated by the mouth of the River Bann. Also nearby is the beach at Benone Strand and Mussenden Temple, built by Frederick Augustus Hervey, an 18th-century Anglican bishop atop a precipitate cliff and overlooking County Donegal in one direction and Scotland in another. The bishop's residence, Downhill House, which is managed by the National Trust, fell into disrepair after the Second World War.[38]
Coleraine during the day is busy but relatively quiet at night.[citation needed] Much of the nightlife in the area centres on the nearby seaside resort towns of Portrush and Portstewart, with the three towns forming a combined visitor area known as “The Triangle”.[citation needed]
Climate
Coleraine experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and relatively mild winters. The nearest official Met Officeweather station for which online records are available is at nearby Coleraine University,[39] about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town centre. However, observations ceased a few years ago and the nearest current Met Office weather observing station is at Movanagher, about 12 miles (19 km) to the south. Rainfall at Coleraine typically peaks at over 100 mm (3.9 in) during the month of October. The driest month is May, with an average of under 60 mm (2.4 in).[40] On average, 173 days of the year will report at least 1 mm (0.039 in) of rain, ranging from 18 days in January to 11 days during June. The following table summarises temperature averages sampled between 1971 and 2000.
Climate data for Ulster University, at 23 m.a.s.l. (Weather station 1 mile (2 km) to the North of Coleraine town centre)
The east side of the town is distinguished by Mountsandel Forest, which contains the Mount Sandel fort, an ancient site which has been claimed as the oldest site of human settlement in Ireland. Here wooden houses dating from about 7000 BC were uncovered.[42][43] The fort can be accessed via Mountsandel forest, the closest entrance being the side near the Coleraine Courthouse. There is another fort about two miles south of Mountsandel near the small village of Loughan.
Coleraine is the location of a University of Ulstercampus and houses the university's administration buildings. It is the original campus of what was the New University of Ulster (established in 1968) which merged with the former Ulster Polytechnic at Jordanstown just north of Belfast in 1984 to form the present-day institution. The university was placed in the top five of UK universities by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework for its law, biomedical, and humanities programs.[78] The Causeway Institute is a College of Further and Higher Education based in Coleraine, with another campus in nearby Ballymoney.
Sport
Coleraine has a number of sports clubs and facilities.
The club has long been associated with the loyalist side of the community and in 2024 the club was reported to the IFA league for playing sectarian songs.[79],[80]
Coleraine is part of the circuit for the North West 200, a series of motorcycle road races organised by the Coleraine and District Motor Club.
Other
Coleraine Bowling Club is a lawn bowls club on Lodge Road and was founded in 1903. Coleraine is one of the most successful teams in the NIPBA and Irish bowling, with 64 titles on the honours list. The Bannsiders have claimed two Irish Bowling Association Senior Challenge Cup victories, in 1921 and 2013. Coleraine have also provided a number of international players and Commonwealth Games representatives, most notably Victor Dallas and Roy Fulton.
The Coleraine area has a number of equestrian facilities. These include RDA Coleraine (Riding for the Disabled Association - Coleraine & District Group), which provides riding opportunities for people with a physical and/or learning disability at their £1.75 million RDA Causeway Coast Arena at Castleroe.[81] This arena was funded by SportNI, Coleraine Borough Council, and by donations from the people of the district. The conditions of grant aid included the provision of a sporting arena for RDA, the equestrian fraternity, and other sporting activities.[citation needed]
Coleraine, as a town name, exists outside Northern Ireland. In Quebec, Canada, the municipality of Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine in the Appalachian region perpetuates the hometown of Irish settlers who arrived starting in 1864.
In 1853, a surveyor named Lindsay Clarke was working on a township called Bryans Creek Crossing in Victoria, Australia. He renamed the town Coleraine.[84]
International relations
International projects, under the guidance of Coleraine Borough Council, include the Zomba Action Project – a charity founded in 2003 to provide aid to the municipality of Zomba in southern Malawi. The region was chosen due to the historical connections between the Presbyterian and Catholic churches and Malawi, sustained by a number of specific local contacts. Donations have been used to fund computers, education, medical and other projects.[85]
^Hogan, C. Michael (2013). Saundry, Peter (ed.). "Irish Sea". Washington DC: Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
^Newmann, Kate (2016). "Dictionary of Ulster Biography". newulsterbiography.co.uk. Ulster History Circle. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
^Sandra Kemp, Charlotte Mitchell, and David Trotter (eds). A. M. Irvine, The Oxford Companion to Edwardian Fiction, Oxford University Press, 1997 Print ISBN9780198117605, Current Online Version: 2005 eISBN9780191727382(subscription required)
^"Hilary Stevenson: Hilary Stevenson, OBE, scientist, died from cancer on October 5 aged 47. She was born on January 12, 1947". The Times (London) (Obituary). 2 November 1994. p. 21. IF0502090808 – via Gale.
^"Isaac Todd"(PDF). Go Visit Inishowen. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
^"About Ulster University". The Higher Education – World University Rankings. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
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