Portballintrae Explained

Official Name:	Portballintrae
Irish Name:	Port Bhaile an Trá
Static Image Name:	The secluded Portballintrae. - geograph.org.uk - 435097.jpg
Static Image Caption:	Road leading into the village
Map Type:	Northern Ireland
Label Position:	none
Population:	734
Population Ref:	(2001 Census)
Unitary Northern Ireland:	Causeway Coast and Glens
Lieutenancy Northern Ireland:	County Antrim
Constituency Westminster:	North Antrim
Constituency Ni Assembly:	North Antrim
Country:	Northern Ireland
Post Town:	BUSHMILLS
Postcode Area:	BT
Postcode District:	BT57
Dial Code:	028
Hide Services:	yes
Coordinates:	55.2139°N -6.5456°W

Portballintrae is a small seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is four miles east of Portrush and two miles west of the Giant's Causeway. In the 2011 Census, Portballintrae had a population of 601, a decline of 18% compared to 2001.^[1] It lies within the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area.

History

Donald Trump

In 2007 Portballintrae was considered as a location for a proposed £1 billion golf course complex by American tycoon and former American president Donald Trump.^[2]

Spanish Armada

Between 1967 and April 1968 a team of Belgian divers (including Robert Sténuit, the world's first aquanaut), located the remains of the wreck of the Girona off the coast of Portballintrae and brought up the greatest find of Spanish Armada treasure salvaged up until that time.^[3] ^[4] The recovered artefacts are now on display in the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

Places of interest

The ruins of Dunluce Castle sit on the edge of a cliff between Portballintrae and Portrush. The castle was the main stronghold of the MacDonnell chiefs of Antrim.
Much of Portballintrae and its surrounding area is owned by the Macnaghten family of Dundarave House and Runkerry House. Runkerry, once the home of Lord Macnaghten, has since been converted into a series of apartments.
The Giant's Causeway Tramway runs through the sand dunes above the largest beach in Portballintrae, commonly known as Runkerry Strand, and Bushfoot Golf Club. This railway, popular with tourists, runs between The Giants Causeway and Bushmills.

2001 Census

Portballintrae is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people).On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 734 people living in Portballintrae. Of these:

12.0% were aged under 16 years and 33.4% were aged 60 and over
48.9% of the population were male and 51.1% were female
1.0% were from a Catholic background and 96.5% were from a Protestant background.
2.1% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

References

Coleraine Borough Council
Draft Northern Area Plan 2016

External links

Notes and References

Web site: 2022-08-16 . 2011 Census key statistics tables on demography . 2024-01-14 . Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . en.
News: Trump golf complex welcome in NI . Johnny . Caldwell . . 2 December 2007 . London, UK . 18 March 2016 . 24 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210524203524/https://secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?rnd=1621888524238&ci=bbc&cg=0&sr=1600x1000&ts=v51.js&cd=24&lg=en-US&je=n&ck=y&tz=0&ct=&hp=&tl=BBC%20NEWS%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20Northern%20Ireland%20%7C%20Trump%20golf%20complex%20welcome%20in%20NI&si=http%3A//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7123636.stm&rp= . live .
Web site: Girona gold: How a diver discovered 400-year-old treasure. 27 May 2017. 22 November 2021. BBC.co.uk.
Book: Sténuit, Robert . Robert Sténuit
. Robert Sténuit . Treasures of the Armada . Trans. Francine Barker . . . 1973 . 0-525-22245-6.