Editing Crossgar

{{short description|Village in County Down, Northern Ireland}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Crossgar
| irish_name = an Chrois Ghearr
| scots_name = 
| local_name = 
| static_image_name = Crossgar, Shops in Downpatrick Street.jpg
| static_image_caption = 
| map_type = Northern Ireland
| label_position = none
| coordinates = {{coord|54.3981|-5.7647|display=inline,title}}
| irish_grid_reference = 
| population = 1,997
| population_ref = ([[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 Census]])
| lieutenancy_northern_ireland = [[County Down]]
| constituency_westminster = mostly [[South Down (UK Parliament constituency)|South Down]] (and [[Strangford (UK Parliament constituency)|Strangford]])
| constituency_ni_assembly = mostly [[South Down (Assembly constituency)|South Down]] (and [[Strangford (UK Parliament constituency)|Strangford]])
| country = Northern Ireland
|historic_county=
|post_town = DOWNPATRICK
| postcode_area = BT
| postcode_district = BT30
| dial_code = 028
| website = 
| unitary_northern_ireland = [[Newry, Mourne and Down District Council|Newry, Mourne and Down]]
}}

'''Crossgar''' ({{etymology|ga|an Chrois Ghearr|the short cross}})<ref>[http://www.placenamesni.org/resultsdetail.phtml?entry=12469 Placenames NI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602134406/http://www.placenamesni.org/resultsdetail.phtml?entry=12469 |date=2012-06-02 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.logainm.ie/1165916.aspx|title=An Chrois Ghearr/Crossgar|website=Logainm.ie|access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> is a [[village]] and [[townland]] in [[County Down]], [[Northern Ireland]]. It is about {{convert|15|mi}} south of [[Belfast]] – between [[Saintfield]] and [[Downpatrick]]. Crossgar had a population 1,997 people in the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 UK Census]].

== History ==
Crossgar has had an interesting and varied past, dating from the establishment of ancient Gaelic royal and ecclesiastical sites, the settlement of Anglo-Norman invaders, to Scots settlers, to the St. Patrick's Day riots in the 1800s. According to a history of Down and Connor by a Fr. O'Laverty, the parish of Kilmore, in which Crossgar lies, was likely to have been established around 800 AD and was the ecclesiastical centre of this part of County Down. It was thought that the area had seven chapels and these can be reasonably evident by the remains of burial grounds. But the seventh cannot be traced to a burial ground and is referred to as the "lost chapel of Cill Glaise". O'Laverty says that by tradition this chapel was built by [[Saint Patrick]] and left in the care of his disciples Glasicus and Liberius.

The name Crossgar comes from the Irish ''An Chrois Ghearr'' meaning "the short cross". There is a holy well known as St. Mary's Well (''Tobar Mhuire'') which suggests that in this case ''crois'' (cross) is likely to refer to an ecclesiastical cross, no trace of which now remains. The adjective ''gearr'' (short) may suggest that the cross was damaged or in some way defective. The parish of Kilmore comes from the Irish ''Cill Mhór'' meaning "big church" or another possible meaning is ''An Choill Mhór'' meaning "the big forest", which suggests that the area was covered by a large forest. Another location of one of the seven chapels is the townland of Killinchy (''Cill Duinsí'') meaning "Duinseach's Church".

Another early name derived from the bridge in the village named after Éimhear Óg Uí Néill was ''Ever Oque'' or ''Everogue Bridge''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stranney |first1=William |title=A Lecale Farmer's Diary 1767-1797 |journal=Lecale Review |date=2014 |issue=14}}</ref>

In June 1920, during the [[Irish War of Independence]], [[Irish Republican Army (1917–22)|Irish Republican Army]] volunteers attacked the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] barracks in Crossgar. They opened fire on the building, wounding two officers, and attempted to breach the walls with explosives before withdrawing.<ref>Lawlor, Pearse. ''The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign''. Mercier Press, 2011. pp.24-25</ref>

==Places of interest==
* Ulster Wildlife Centre, opened by [[David Attenborough]] the Wildlife Centre in 1992.
* The Market House was derelict but has been restored and turned into a children's nursery.
* Crossgar is home to Ireland's first [[Disc Golf]] course located on the Kilmore Road between Crossgar and Kilmore.
* Across from the Free Presbyterian Church is an Orange Hall which is home to the local [[Orange Lodge]] that is still active today with a flute band called Crossgar Young Defenders (CYD) started in 1987. [[File:Crossgar Young Defenders.jpg|thumb|Crossgar Young Defenders, open their annual parade by marching through their hometown.]]
*Crossgar is home of a football club called Kilmore Rec, they play at Robert Adams Park
*Tobar Mhuire Retreat and Conference Centre is run by the resident [[Passionists|Passionist]] community. The centre is in a former manor house, known as Crossgar House, bought from Colonel Llewellyn Palmer by the Passionists in 1950 to house their Juniorate until 1980. In 1976 Tobar Mhuire became a [[noviciate]], before turning into a retreat and Prayer Centre in 1982.

===Gallery===
<gallery class="center">
Image:Crossgar Market House.jpg|The Market House (1829)
Image:Lissara Presbyterian Church Crossgar.jpg|Lissara Presbyterian Church (1867)
Image:Masonic Hall Crossgar 1910.jpg|[[Masonic Lodge|Masonic Hall]] (1910)
</gallery>

==Transport==
Crossgar is on the main A7 road, 5 miles (8&nbsp;km) north of Downpatrick and 16 miles (26&nbsp;km) south of Belfast, and on the B7 minor road between Ballynahinch and Killyleagh.

The village is served by Ulsterbus route 15 and 215 Downpatrick to Belfast.

[[Crossgar railway station]] opened on 23 March 1859, but finally closed on 16 January 1950.<ref>{{cite web | title=Crossgar station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | access-date=2007-09-23}}</ref>

Parts of it from Downpatrick to Inch abbey then opened as a tourist attraction in late 2009 to celebrate the closing of the line 60 years ago.

==Demography==
Crossgar is classified as a village by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (25 March 2011) there were 1,872 people living in Crossgar, making it the 2643rd UK largest town. Of these:
*22.3% were aged under 16 and 13.74% were aged 65 and over
*49.26% of the population were male and 50.74% were female
*59.45% were from a [[Catholic]] background and 34.95% were from a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] background
*39.65% indicated that they had a British national identity, 35.46% had a Northern Irish national identity and 30.20% had an Irish national identity.

In 2001 there were 1,539 people living in Crossgar. Of these:
*23.8% were aged under 16 and 18.6% were aged 60 and over
*49.2% of the population were male and 50.8% were female
*60% were from a [[Catholic]] background and 38.2% were from a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] or other Christian background

===Population change of ''Crossgar Town''===
*1831 Census = 474<ref name="Crossgar population 1831-1937">{{cite web |title=County Down population census 1831-1937 |url=http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/Search?ResourceType=Census&ResourceType=Legislation&ResourceType=Essays&ResourceType=Registrar%20General&ResourceType=TNA&SearchTerms=crossgar&simple=yes&path=Results&active=yes&titlepos=20&range=all |website=histpop.org (online historical population reports) |publisher=UK Census |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
*1841 Census = 695
*1851 Census = 860
*1861 Census = 817
*1871 Census = 688
*1881 Census = 743
*1891 Census = 583
*1901 Census = 582
*1911 Census = 553
*1926 Census = 555
*1937 Census = 577<ref name="Crossgar population 1937">{{cite web |title=County of Down, 1937 Population |url=http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/PageBrowser2?ResourceType=Census&ResourceType=Legislation&ResourceType=Essays&ResourceType=Registrar%20General&ResourceType=TNA&SearchTerms=crossgar&simple=yes&path=Results&active=yes&titlepos=22&mno=342&pageseq=29 |website=histpop.org (online historical population reports) |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
*1951 Census = 640
*1961 Census = 842<ref name="Crossgar population 1961">{{cite web |title=CENSUS OF POPULATION 1961 COUNTY REPORT DOWN |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/1961-census-down-county-report.pdf |website=NISRA |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
*1966 Census = 845
*1971 Census = 1098<ref name="Crossgar population 1971">{{cite web |title=CENSUS OF POPULATION 1971 COUNTY REPORT DOWN |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/1971-census-down-county-report.PDF |website=NISRA |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
*1981 Census- 1225
*1991 Census= 1246
*2001 Census= 1542
*2008 Estimate = 1860
*2011 Census = 1892<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/|title=statistics|first=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research|last=Agency|website=Ninis.nisra.gov.uk|access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref>
*2021 Census = 1997<ref name="Crossgar population">{{cite web |url=https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021/N21000760/ |website=NISRA |access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>

==People==
[[File:Sir James Martin plaque Crossgar.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Plaque to Sir James Martin, inventor]]
*[[Jim Allister]], leader of the [[Traditional Unionist Voice]] (TUV) party and former senior barrister, was born in Crossgar in 1953.
*[[James Martin (engineer)|Sir James Martin OBE]], inventor of the [[Ejection seat|ejector seat]], was born in the nearby townland of Killinchy-in-the-Woods in 1893. He is also co-founder of the [[Martin-Baker|Martin-Baker Aircraft Company]]. A stone has been erected in his memory in Crossgar Square.
*[[Dermot Nesbitt]], the former NI Environment Minister and a [[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]] MLA was born in Crossgar and still lives in Crossgar.
*Footballer [[Andrew Waterworth]] is from Crossgar, as is his grandfather; former Glentoran defender and captain Noel McCarthy. Andrew played for Hamilton Academical Football Club in the SPL and Linfield Football Club but now plays for Glenavon.

==Sport==
Crossgar is home of [[Kilmore Rec. F.C.|Kilmore Rec. Football Club]], which plays at Robert Adams Park. It is the club at which [[Andrew Waterworth]] started his career.

Crossgar hosts the badminton team and club, 'Lisara Badminton Club'. Their place of play is in Lisara Presbyterian Church Hall.

Crossgar is home to an outdoor Winter Seasonal Icehockey team called the 'Crossgar Hawks' Established in 2021.

Crossgar is also home to East Down Amateur Boxing Club Established in 2010.

Crossgar also has its own 9 hole Par 64 Golf Course, Crossgar Golf Club, located on the Derryboy Road and founded in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crossgargolfclub.com|title=Crossgargolfclub.com|website=Crossgargolfclub.com|access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> 

==Surrounding areas==
*[[Kilmore, County Down|Kilmore]]
*[[Listooder]]
*[[Annacloy]]
*[[Bells Hill, County Down|Bells Hill]]
*[[Derryboy]]

==See also==
* [[Market houses in Northern Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''The Whitewashed City: the story of Crossgar, County Down'' by Tom Hewitt. Vol. l (Crossgar, Tom Hewitt, 2004)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Crossgar}}

{{County Down}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in County Down]]
[[Category:Townlands of County Down]]
[[Category:Civil parish of Kilmore, County Down]]