Ballymacarrett

Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret (from Irish Baile Mhic Gearóid 'MacGearóid's settlement')[1] is the name of both a townland and electoral ward in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The townland is in the civil parish of Knockbreda in the historic barony of Castlereagh Upper in County Down, and has existed since earlier than 1622.

The ward consists of two distinct districts: Ballymacarrett, which is almost entirely Protestant, and the Short Strand which is almost entirely Catholic, with the two separated by a peaceline.

Set in the shadows of the Harland and Wolff cranes Samson & Goliath, large numbers of local men worked in the shipyard during its heyday.

[3] In 1622, James Hamilton (Viscount of Clandeboye) leased the townland of Ballymacarret to Richard and Henry Whitehead.

In 1672, ‘Balle maccarrett alias Ballincrat’ was sold to Thomas Pottinger, whose merchant family built the large Mountpottinger house in the townland.

[7] Industry in 1837 included: Belfast Poor Law Union was formed on 1 June 1839 and assigned two out of 22 members of its Board of Guardians to Ballymacarrett.

Ballymacarrett was greatly impacted by the famine, but had difficulties obtaining government assistance because it was officially treated as separate from Belfast.

[11] Ballymacarrett and the nearby Newtownards Road played a key part in what became known as the 2011 Northern Ireland riots.