A History of Lisburn

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Lisburn, although perceived to be a young city, is actually a place which holds an important place in Irish history. The year of 1600 is where Lisburn's history is said to have begun and back then it was originally a small settlement and was known by the name of Lisnagarvey, which was looked over by the Chief of Killultagh. It is important to know that during this year Ireland's Chieftains were in arms against English rule in their country and this led to battles which eventually seen the English victorious and take control over a majority of towns, villages and land.

Lisnagarvey was indeed one of these villages and in 1609 was given over to a Sir Fulke Conway. Conway was very keen to gather in the English and Welsh tenants and it wasn't long until Lisnagarvey became loyal to King Charles completely. Over the next few years the town thrived and bustled with markets, businesses and trades and little occurred other than the Conway Castle being built in 1627. It wasn't until the year of 1641 during Ireland's great Rebellion that Lisnagarvey, because of its loyalty to the English crown, seen rebels trying to seize it. This led to the rebels being out numbered and eventually they resorted to setting the town alight causing Lisnagarvey to burn to the ground. It is thought that after the fire, the town gained its name Lisburn.

It took a while for Lisburn to be rebuilt to the way it was and by 1670 it was beginning its legacy in the linen industry. Louis Crommelin brought a group of nearly 100 Huguenot weavers to the small town in 1698 and built the first factory. With his European connections Crommelin made sure that Lisburn's Linen industry would do well until disaster hit the town in 1707 when a large fire once again diminished the town to ashes. Once again the town was rebuilt and by 1800 it was boasting industrial strength and popularity with Damask material through Europe and even enticed important members of royalty to visit the Coulson Factory. Although Lisburn had a large industrial impact on the surrounding area, the town itself was filled with stores, public houses, shoemakers, markets etc. Locals enjoyed shopping in Bow Street and Bridge Street, the former being a popular shopping destination today. Lisburn's location has always played a large part in its industrial and economical benefits, as it is central to the main routes to Belfast in the North and Dublin in the South of Ireland. In the 1800s the Lagan Canal was built and with this access to Belfast from Lisburn was made much easier and had a huge economical and commercial impact on the small town.

Today Lisburn is one of the most popular places to visit in Northern Ireland as it has a great history which involves famous figures, important historical milestones, not to mention its long and prosperous linen industry. It is often overlooked when it comes to the larger surrounding cities such as Belfast and Derry but it has just as much of an important story to tell.

Jonny Glover runs Lisburn Pages a local online business directory, targetted at businesses in Lisburn Northern Ireland. You'll find a comprehensive directory listing everything from Lisburn Hotels to Guesthouses.