Holywood
Holywood is a town in the cosmopolitan area of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a civil parish and townland consisting of 755 acres resting on the coast of Belfast Lough, in between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Urban Area is categorised as a medium town within the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA) by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, with the 2001 Census noting a permanent population of 12037. Within this population, around 20 percent are aged under 16 years of age and 21 per cent were aged 60 and over. 50.6 per cent of the population is male and 49.4 per cent is female. The train line from Belfast to Holywood arrived in 1848, and this generated rapid development. This growth, in combination with that of close-by towns and villages along the coastal strip to Bangor, required the building of the Holywood Bypass in the early 1970s. The town is a popular suburb and is distinguished for its trendy shops, boutiques, arts and crafts. Holywood is most popular for its maypole at the crossroads in the centre of town. Its origin continues to be rather uncertain, yet, according to local tradition, it comes from 1700, when a Dutch ship is said to have run aground on the coast nearby, and the crew set up the damaged mast to reveal their appreciation of the help offered to them by the townsfolk. The maypole continues to be in routine use for dancing at the yearly May Day fair. The town also holds an annual jazz and blues celebration. There are lots of sporting possibilities in Holywood, being the home of football clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs and a sports association. For all of your house upgrades, make sure to make use of trusted professionals in Holywood to make certain of quality.
