Newtownhamilton

Newtownhamilton is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 648 people. It lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council area.

The village lies in the south west of County Armagh, in scenic, hilly country which is locally known as ’The Fews’. Fews is derived from the Irish for woods and there are copses sporadically dotted around the hillsides. The village is built around the narrow Main Street. Newtownhamilton also hosts a weekly cattle market.

Name

The Irish language version of the name Newtownhamilton is An Baile Úr, literally translating as 'The New Town' (An=The, Baile=Town, Úr=New). Occasionally, the town is referred to by the full Irish language title, Baile Úr Uí Urmoltaigh (=The New Town of Hamilton). The local district council is Newry & Mourne District Council.

History

The village takes its name from Alexander Hamilton , a descendant of the John Hamilton from Scotland who founded Hamiltonsbawn in 1619. The parish was created in 1773 out of the neighbouring parish of Creggan.

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Newtownhamilton, which includes a list of incidents in Newtownhamilton during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Education

2001 Census

Newtownhamilton is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 648 people living in Newtownhamilton. Of these:

25.5% were aged under 16 years and 17.0% were aged 60 and over
47.1% of the population were male and 52.9% were female
71.8% were from a Catholic background and 28.2% were from a Protestant background
7.2% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service