Ballymoney
Ballymoney ( , meaning 'townland of the moor') is a small town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated in the historic baronies of Dunluce Upper and Kilconway in County Antrim, and the barony of North East Liberties of Coleraine in County Londonderry. It had a population of 10,402 people in the 2011 Census. Ballymoney is located on the main road between Coleraine and Ballymena, with good road and rail connections to the main cities in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry. The  Ballymoney area has the highest life expectancy of any area in Northern Ireland, with the average male life expectancy at birth being 79.9 years and 83.8 years for females in years between 2010 and 2012. Conversely, it was revealed in 2013 that Ballymoney residents are more likely to die from heart disease than anywhere else in Northern Ireland. The town hosts the Ballymoney Drama Festival, the oldest drama festival in Ireland, which was founded in 1933. The town also hosts the Ballymoney Show, which is one of the oldest agricultural shows in Northern Ireland and was founded in 1902. History . The Troubles. The Northern Irish Troubles resulted in 14 deaths in or near the County Antrim town of Ballymoney; the sole incident involving two or more fatalities was the Quinn brothers' killings in July 1998. The three Catholic brothers, aged 9, 10 and 11, were killed during a sectarian Ulster Volunteer Force petrol bomb attack on their home at Carnany Park. Politics. Ballymoney district is part of the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. In 2014, the residents elected 3 Democratic Unionist Party, 2 Ulster Unionist Party, 1 Traditional Unionist Voice and 1 Sinn Féin councillors. Demography. On Census day  (27 March 2011) there were 10,402 people living in Ballymoney (4,354 households), an increase of 15.3% on the Census 2001 population of 9,021. Of these: Buildings of note. Ballymoney is one of the oldest towns in Ireland with many buildings of historic note in the town centre. Sport. Association football clubs in the area include Ballymoney United F.C. and Glebe Rangers F.C. Transport. Ballymoney railway station opened on 4 December 1855, and was closed to goods traffic on 4 January 1965. The refurbished railway station was opened in May 1990. It was one terminus of the Ballycastle Railway, a narrow  gauge railway which ran 17 miles connecting Ballycastle to Ballymoney, on the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), later Northern Counties Committee (NCC), main line to Derry, and closed in July 1950. Economy and media. Maine Soft Drinks Ltd is based in the area. The Ballymoney Chronicle was established in 1844. It is the largest selling weekly newspaper in the North Coast and the second largest weekly newspaper in Northern Ireland.