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History
Roddy McCorley, a Presbyterian radical, was a local of the parish in which the village of Toome is included, Duneane. He fought in the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion against British Rule in Ireland but was captured. He was executed by the British on Good Friday, 1799 "near the bridge of Toome", which had been partially destroyed by rebels in 1798 to prevent the arrival of reinforcements from west of the River Bann. His body was then dissected by the British and buried under the road that went from Belfast to Derry until the mid-1800s, when he was dug up and given a proper burial in an unmarked grave. A memorial in honour of McCorley now stands in Toome as you enter the village from County Londonderry.
Economy
- The largest industry in Toome is eel fishing, supplying the European market. The eels come from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean to Lough Neagh to mate. The eel fisheries have been commemorated in a number of poems by Seamus Heaney.
- Within the last century mining for diatomite has developed as extensive deposits of diatomite are found in the Toome area. This mineral was used as an absorbent for gelignite and for toothpaste.
People
- The Laverty family, whose sons Michael, John and Eugene race in the British Superbike Championship and its support races, are from Toome.
- Willie John McBride, world famous Rugby Union player, capped for Ireland on 63 occasions, 12 as Captain, is a native of Toome but now lives in Ballyclare.
Sport
The local Gaelic Athletic Association club in the area; Erin's Own, Cargin, is a successful club being crowned County Antrim senior football champions on 5 occasions, the most recent being in 2006 and have won the County Antrim Senior Football league on countless occasions, most recently in 2005. The club has enjoyed success in all age-groups since the clubs establishment in 1923.
Transport
- Toome had long been a bottleneck to traffic on the main Belfast to Derry road route. Construction of a by-pass began in May 2002 and was completed in March 2004, improving journey times and relieving congestion in the village.
- Toome railway station was opened on 10 November 1856, closed for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and finally closed altogether on 1 October 1959.[1]
2001 Census
Toome 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 722 people living in Toome. Of these:
- 27.2% were aged under 16 years and 10.9% were aged 60 and over
- 48.8% of the population were male and 51.3% were female
- 96.3% were from a Catholic background and 2.9% were from a Protestant background
- 6.2% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
References
- ^ "Toome station". Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
External links
- River Bann, Ireland - Toome visitor information
- Landscapes Unlocked - Aerial footage from the BBC Sky High series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland.
See also
- List of villages in Northern Ireland
- List of towns in Northern Ireland
- Market Houses in Northern Ireland
