Aghalee - <>

Aghalee is a village, townland and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is three miles from the southeast corner of Lough Neagh on the main road between Lurgan and Antrim and about 13 kilometres west of Lisburn. The village lies on the steep wooded slopes of Friary Glen and is beside the now disused Lagan Navigational Canal. In the 2001 Census, Aghalee had a population of 774.Aghalee has several places of worship, a community hall, several shops and a post office. The village is home to a vocational training centre, a nursing home, telephone exchange, day nursery, doctor's surgery and chemist. Ulsterbus services link the village with Lisburn, Antrim, Lurgan and Belfast.HistoryMuch of the early development of Aghalee was due to its strategic location beside the Lagan Navigational Canal which opened at the end of the 18th century. The village became a distribution centre for the surrounding area and developed as an important lock station on the Lagan Navigation, as it was one of the last sizeable settlements before the canal entered Lough Neagh. While the canal operated, trade continued on a significant scale. When the canal finally ceased to operate in 1954, the area began to decline in commercial importance. The population of the settlement decreased considerably in the latter part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century.

Tags: City