Cargan
Hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cargan (from Irish an Carraigín, meaning 'the small rock')[1] is a hamlet and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slievenanee in Glenravel – locally known as "The Tenth Glen" along with the more widely known nine Glens of Antrim. It is part of Mid and East Antrim district. It had a population of 588 people (223 households) in the 2011 census.[2]
Cargan
| |
|---|---|
The Legagrane Road in Cargan | |
  Cargan Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 588 (2011 census) |
| • Belfast | 25 mi (40 km) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BALLYCASTLE |
| Postcode district | BT44 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
History
One of the earliest anglicisations of the townland of Cargan is Carrigan.[1] In the late 1800s, the village of Cargan was known as Fisherstown. An iron ore mine was opened up around the same time. The ore was shipped to Barrow-in-Furness, first by horse,[3] then from 1875 by railway to Ballymena. The railway closed in 1937.[4]
Transport
The Ballymena to Cargan railway line was opened in 1875 and extended to Parkmore and Retreat in 1876.[5] Cargan railway station opened on 1 June 1894, was closed for passenger traffic on 1 October 1930, and finally closed altogether on 12 April 1937.[6] It was on the Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway which operated narrow gauge railway services from Ballymena to Parkmore from 1875 to 1940.[7]
Demographics
On census day in 2011, there were 588 people living in Cargan. Of these, 91.2% were from a Catholic background and 6.5% were from a Protestant background.[citation needed]