Holywood is a town in the city of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a civil parish and townland comprising 755 acres lying on the bank of Belfast Lough, 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 recording a permanent population of 12037. Within this population, around 20 per cent are aged under 16 years of age and 21 percent were aged 60 and over. 50.6 per cent of the population is male and 49.4 percent is female. The train line from Belfast to Holywood arrived in 1848, and this generated quick development. This development, in conjunction with that of surrounding towns and villages along the seaside strip to Bangor, demanded the building and construction of the Holywood Bypass in the early 1970s. The town is a popular house and is noted for its fashionable shops, boutiques, arts and crafts. Holywood is most well-known for its maypole at the crossroads in the centre of town. Its origin stays rather unclear, however, according to regional folklore, it comes from 1700, when a Dutch ship is said to have actually run aground on the coast close by, and the crew set up the damaged mast to display their gratitude of the help used 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 options in Holywood, being home to football clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs and a sports association. For all your home upgrades, make certain to make use of credible experts in Holywood to make certain of quality.