Rasharkin

Rasharkin
Irish: Ros Earcáin

Main Street
Rasharkin
 Rasharkin shown within Northern Ireland
Population 1,114 (2011 Census)
Irish grid referenceC971134
   – Belfast  38 miles 
DistrictBallymoney
CountyCounty Antrim
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town BALLYMENA
Postcode district BT44
Dialling code 028, +44 28
EU Parliament Northern Ireland
UK ParliamentNorth Antrim
NI AssemblyNorth Antrim
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Antrim

Coordinates: 54°57′14″N 6°28′48″W / 54.95382°N 6.48°W / 54.95382; -6.48

Rasharkin (from Irish Ros Earcáin, meaning "Earcán's promontory"),[1] is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south of Ballymoney, near Dunloy and Kilrea. It had a population of 1,114 people in the 2011 Census.[2]

Folklore

Rasharkin features in Buile Shuibhne an old Irish tale about the Suibhne mac Colmain, king of the Dál nAraidi, driven insane by St. Ronan's curse. The tale is the final installment of a three-text cycle in medieval Irish literature, continuing on from Fled Dúin na nGéd (The Feast of Dun na nGéd) and Cath Maige Rátha (The Battle of Mag Rath).

King Sweeney's homeplace in the tale was Glenbuck that lies just outside Rasharkin. Seamus Heaney published an English version of the tale entitled Sweeney Astray

History

Historically Rasharkin was also spelt as Rosharkin and Rosarkin.[1]

It lay within the barony of Kilconway that belonged to the MacDonnells in the 17th Century.

Rasharkin also has a rich history and features in Ballymoney's involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.[3]

The Troubles

A total of 3 people were killed in the village of Rasharkin during the period known as The Troubles. One was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), and one a member of the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR), both killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on separate occasions. The other, Gerard Casey was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and was killed by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).

Politics

The village forms part of the North Antrim constituency and the elected MP is DUP party member Ian Paisley, Jr. In recent years there has been opposition to Orange Order parades in the village, from segments of the majority Catholic population.[4][5] There have been sectarian attacks[6] in the village.[7][8][9] The local Orange Hall has been targeted 23 times in the last two years.[10][11][12][13]

Anti Orange Order sign in Rasharkin
Rasharkin Orange Hall daubed with graffiti in August 2009

On 12 July 2009, three police officers were injured after being attacked at an Orange parade at Rasharkin, sustaining minor injuries from stones and bricks thrown by youths. Petrol bombs were also thrown and one man was arrested.[14]

In September 2010, the home of Chris Baird's mother was petrol bombed.[15] Also, Saint Mary's chapel was paint bombed.

Places of interest

People

Sport

Demography

2011 Census

It had a population of 1,114 people (394 households) in the 2011 Census.[2]

2001 Census

Rasharkin is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 864 people living in Rasharkin. Of these:

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Churches

There are 4 churches in the village ; Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic and Free Presbyterian.

The Free Presbyterian Church in Rasharkin was one of the first congregations of the new Free Presbyterian Church in 1951 after a damaging split in the Presbyterian Church locally with many opposed to the Minister there Rev Stronge.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.