Moira (from Irish Maigh Rath, meaning 'plain of the streams or wheels')[1] is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland.

[4] In fact the supposed ring fort in Moira is actually a henge dating back thousands of years.

[6] The existence of these primitive defences, coupled with the good-view afforded from the top of Moira hill, made the settlement strategically valuable.

[8] However the subjugation of Ulster by the victorious armies of Elizabeth I greatly reduced the clout of Gaelic hierarchs, the O'Laverys included.

The English authorities crushed the rebellion and confiscated vast amounts of native Irish property, in Moira as in the rest of Ireland.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 he and 200 English soldiers helped defeat the army of Sir Phelim O'Neill and re-secure Moira and its environs for the Crown.

In 1651 an officer by the name of Major de Burgh purchased a small estate and built a brick house in Moira.

Following his actions in putting down rebellion Rawdon subsequently purchased vast amounts of land in the area (most probably financed by confiscations from the dead or subjugated Catholic rebels), and was said to have developed it greatly.

Sir Arthur (who would also become an Irish MP) became a General in the armies of King William III during the Jacobite War in Ireland.

Having inherited the brick manor house his father had purchased he decided to expand it greatly, and it became one of the largest residences in the whole island, to be called Moira Castle.

A respected general and politician with significant influence in London, his time as head of the family was nevertheless negative for the town of Moira, which had risen greatly in prestige as a result of his predecessors.

The 2nd Earl was raised to a yet-higher rank of the peerage in 1816, when he was created Marquess of Hastings, subordinating the Moira title.

The Acts of Union had reduced the power of the Ascendency, and Moira was now directly governed by London instead of Dublin.

In addition, the Great Reform Act had reduced the ability of landowners in general and lords in particular to control Moira.

A canal was built to the north (which became the boundary between Counties Antrim and Down), and a Market Hall completed at the expense of the Bateson family in about 1810.

During the Second World War the grounds of Moira Demesne (as the Castle had become known) were used by the British Army as a medical centre.

For two weeks, assisted by community volunteers, they explored several trenches and found some fascinating artefacts of life in the 17th and 18th centuries.

On 20 February 1998 dissident republicans planted a 500 pounds (230 kg) car bomb, which exploded outside the police station, injuring 11 people.

[citation needed] The bomb caused extensive damage, resulting in the police station and several nearby buildings having to be rebuilt.

The couple, who won precisely £114,969,775.70, told the Belfast Telegraph: "This is a massive sum of money and we want it to have a huge impact on the lives of other people we know and love as well as on our future too.

The following councillors were elected: At a national level Moira is part of the Lagan Valley constituency, represented by DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

Moira is also situated directly along the main road to Lurgan, which creates considerable traffic jams, particularly during rush hour.

Moira FC, which started in the Autumn of 2009, is linked to The LOGIC Cafe, which is part of St John's Parish Church in the village.

St. Michael's play in the Down County League and their most notable player to date is George Lavery, who came from Moira and won two senior all-irelands with Down in 1960 and 1961.

Due to the prevalence of the Rawdon family in British Imperial affairs, several places in the world are named after Moira, County Down, usually via the noble title.