Temple, County Down

Temple, historically called The Temple (Irish: An Teampall),^[1] is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland.^[2] It is situated south of Carryduff, about 9 miles (14.5 km) from Belfast city centre.^[3][4]

Temple Irish: Teampall[1]
Carryduff Road, Temple
Temple Location within County Down
Irish grid reference	J3506659988
District	Lisburn and Castlereagh
County	County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LISBURN
Postcode district	BT27
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Lagan Valley
NI Assembly	Lagan Valley
List of places UK Northern Ireland Down 54.4704°N 5.91741°W / 54.4704; -5.91741

History

One of the earliest references of Temple dates back to 1858, where the name was first applied to a public house in the townland of Carricknaveagh. It was called "The Temple" because it was the meeting place for a freemasons' lodge.^[5]

The village is within the historic barony of Castlereagh Upper and the civil parish of Killaney.

First held in 1921, the Temple 100 were a series of road races which took place within Temple and the surrounding area. The circuit was updated over the years, but they were predominantly held between Temple and Carryduff, and then ultimately between Temple and Saintfield. The final race took place in 1999. It was the first ever and longest running pure road race in Ireland, and one of the oldest road races in the world.^[6][7]

Places of interest

• Hinch Distillery, a craft whiskey & gin distillery, is located south of the city of Belfast on the Killaney Estate.^[8]
• Temple Golf Club, a 9 hole course with 18 tee boxes which opened to the public in 1994.^[9]
• St. Andrew's Church, the Church of Ireland parish church in Killaney.^[10]

Amenities

• Temple Shopping Centre
• SPAR (Convenience store and service station)

Infrastructure

Public transport is served by Translink, Northern Ireland's public transport operator, via bus routes 518a, 520 and 652 on the A24 road, connecting the village to Belfast and Newcastle.

A new Park and Share facility was completed in January 2017.^[11]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland

References

1. Dublin City University. "An Teampall/The Temple". logainm.ie. Government of Ireland – Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Retrieved 6 Nov 2024.
2. Ordnance Survey Ireland (1989). Gazetteer of Ireland: Names of Centres of Population and Physical Features. Dublin: TSO. p. 165. ISBN 978-0707600765.
3. Queen's University Belfast. "Temple, The, County Down". PlacenamesNI.org. Land and Property Services (Department of Finance). Retrieved 7 Nov 2024.
4. Saintfield Heritage Society (1998). Saintfield Heritage: Number Five. Newcastle: Mourne Observer Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0950862040.
5. McKay, Patrick (2007). A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names. Belfast: Cló Ollscoil na Banríona. p. 140. ISBN 978-0853898962.
6. "Granite sculpture installed at Temple in honour of the Temple 100 Road Race". lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk. Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.
7. "Historic Roads Circuits: Temple 100, Northern Ireland". roadracingnews.co.uk. Road Racing News. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.
8. "Hinch Distillery Tours". visitbelfast.com. Visit Belfast. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.
9. "Temple Golf Club". visitlisburncastlereagh.com. Visit Lisburn and Castlereagh. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.
10. "Killaney & Carryduff - Church of Ireland Parishes in Down". carryduff-killaney.down.anglican.org. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.
11. "Hazzard welcomes completion of £1.2 million road improvement scheme at Temple Crossroads County Down". infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Northern Ireland Executive - Department for Infrastructure. Retrieved 24 Dec 2024.