Ballynahinch (Baile na hInse in Irish, meaning "Townland of the Island") is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland and with Newcastle and Downpatrick one of the three largest towns of Down District.

The town lies on the main A24 Belfast to Newcastle road and is well known for its heavy congestion. A long-running campaign to provide a bypass for the town has so far been unsuccessful. Geological surveys were conducted over twenty years ago to determine the route of the bypass but money has never been allocated by the Department of the Environment. In the 1990s various traffic control measures were introduced including the present one way system, however all have failed to cope with the sheer volume of traffic which passes through the town daily. The establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 lead to reports that a bypass may commence sooner than the 6 to 15 year projection of the DoE, supposing that a coalition of County Down MLAs could push the executive to approve the project faster than Northern Ireland Office ministers would. However the stop-start status of devolution has made such a move impossible and the NIO's Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has made infrastructure decisions.

History

Ballynahinch was founded by Sir George Rawdon in the 1600s and remained in the family's hands until the time of the rebellion in 1798. The Battle of Ballynahinch in 1798 ended the United Irishmen movement which was formed in 1791 with the aim of Irish independence from Great Britain.

In January 1997 three off-duty soldiers narrowly escaped injury after being targeted by the IRA. One of the soldiers was checking underneath his Peugeot car for any devices when he activated the bomb's mercury tilt switch. The fact that the bomb exploded up, rather than out, saved his life.

Recent events

In recent years a regeneration committee has been formed for the development of the town and the surrounding Spa and Drumaness areas.

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland