DUNMURRY, a village, in the parish of Drumbeg part of which
is in the barony of Upper-Belfast,
county of Antrim, and province of Ulster, 31/2 miles
(N. E.) from Lisburn, on the river Glenwater and the
road from Belfast to Lisburn; containing 479 inhabitants.
This place, which takes its name from two
Danish forts, or raths, in its immediate vicinity, was
formerly the parish of Ballygosh, which soon after the
Reformation was annexed to that of Drumbeg. Its ancient
name has been superseded by that of the village
which has been recently erected, and which is beautifully
situated in a sequestered and fertile vale, and remarkably
neat. Over the Glenwater are two bridges, one at
the village, an ancient structure, and the other, over
which the Dublin road passes, a noble pile of two arches
of freestone, quarried on the spot. The surrounding
hills being richly planted add greatly to the beauty of the
scenery, which is also embellished with several handsome
seats, of which the principal are Seymour Hill,
that of W. Charley, Esq.; Woodbourne, of M. Charley,
Esq. 5 Dunmurry House, of W. Hunter, Esq.; Suffolk,
of J. MeCance, Esq.; Glenville, of W. McCance, Esq.;
and Collin House, of W. Roberts, Esq.; besides others
which are noticed in the account of the parish of Drumbeg,
which see. In the village are some extensive flourmills,
worked partly by water and partly by steam, and 4 F 2
attached to them are large stores for grain and maltkilns.
Near these is a large bleach-green, in which
14,000 pieces of fine linen are annually bleached; and
at Glenburn, a little lower down upon the same
stream, is another, in which 12.000 are annually finished.
Quarries of freestone for building are wrought
here; there are also quarries of basalt, which in
the grounds of Glenburn consists of rude columnar
masses with concave and convex joints, similar to
those of the Giants' Causeway. Beneath the freestone are
some thin strata of coal, which have never been worked.
The church of Ballygosh has long since disappeared,
and the rectorial tithes of the two townlands which constituted
the parish were granted by Jas. I. to Sir Arthur
Chichester, and the vicarial tithes to the incumbent of
Drumbeg, in the proportions of two-thirds and onethird
respectively. There is a place of worship for
Presbyterians, formerly in connection with the General,
but now with the Remonstrant, Synod of Ulster.
Closely adjoining the bridge was discovered, while
quarrying the stone for its erection, a natural basaltic
wall in a direction from north to south, composed of
stones of different sizes and forms, and having in a
striking degree the appearance of art. On Collin mountain,
to the north-west of the village, is a very conspicuous
cairn of considerable extent; it consists of small
stones piled together in a conical form, and is now almost
covered with green sward.