The Balmoral Show is Northern Ireland's largest agri-food event. It takes place during May in Balmoral Park , Lisburn .
56-504: Sponsored by Ulster Bank , it typically includes showjumping competitions, motorcycle displays, bands, shopping, tasting, a children's farm, and displays of falconry, pedigree horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and goats. Formed in 1854, the North East Agricultural Association of Ireland held the first shows at Belfast Corporation Markets between 1855 and 1895. In 1872, the first three-day show
112-756: A motte-and-bailey fort in what is now the Harryville area of Ballymena. It is one of the best-surviving examples of this type of fortification in Northern Ireland. In 1315, Edward Bruce (brother of Scottish king Robert the Bruce ) invaded the Earldom of Ulster, opening up another front in the war against the English. On 10 September 1315, at the Battle of Connor , near Ballymena, Edward's army defeated
168-577: A Borough Council was held on 23 May 1939. The population of Ballymena reached 13,000. Ballymena Castle was demolished in the 1950s. In 1973, the Urban and Rural District Councils were merged to create Ballymena Borough Council . Following local government reorganisation in 2015, the Borough Council was merged with the Boroughs of Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council . During
224-698: A Significant Institution under European Banking Supervision and thus directly supervised by the European Central Bank . Ulster Bank was founded as The Ulster Banking Company in Belfast , Ulster , in 1836, by a breakaway faction of shareholders in the newly formed National Bank of Ireland, which had been founded in 1835, who objected to the latter bank's plan to invest profits from the bank in London rather than in Belfast. The founding directors of
280-781: A full range of banking and insurance services to personal, business and commercial customers. In Northern Ireland, as a trading name of National Westminster Bank, the bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. National Westminster Bank is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and UK Finance . In
336-457: A logo for branding purposes, beginning with a large, bold "UB" featuring its coat of arms, followed by a large "UB" in outline, and finally an entwined U and B. During 1969–1970, Ulster Bank gradually transitioned to the logo of the newly-formed National Westminster Bank, featuring three arrowheads. In 2005, Ulster Bank's logo was changed to the "daisy wheel" of Royal Bank of Scotland, together with its typeface design. Ulster Bank
392-555: A new premises on College Green in 1891. In the early 1900s, Ulster Bank opened branches in Wexford, Dún Laoghaire, Cork, Waterford and Limerick. It was acquired by the London County and Westminster Bank in 1917, but retained its separate identity. In the 1960s, Ulster Bank opened branches in the suburbs of Belfast and Dublin, together with branches in airports. It introduced ATMs. On 16 May 1968, Ulster Bank announced that
448-595: A phased withdrawal of all banking activity and associated services within the Republic of Ireland . On 3 May 2021, the business of Ulster Bank Limited in Northern Ireland was transferred to the parent National Westminster Bank as part of a court-approved Banking Business Transfer Scheme. Ulster Bank ceased its operations in the Republic of Ireland on 21 April 2023. From 2014 to 2023, it had been designated as
504-857: A three-year sponsorship deal worth over £1 million for the Belfast Festival at Queen's . It was hailed as a "new dawn" for the festival which had been suffering underfunding. Ulster Bank was the first overall sponsor of The Balmoral Show in 2009, Northern Ireland's largest agricultural show. Ulster Bank announced official sponsorship of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in April 2008. Ballymena Ballymena ( / ˌ b æ l i ˈ m iː n ə / BAL -ee- MEE -nə ; from Irish : an Baile Meánach [ənˠ ˌbˠalʲə ˈmʲaːn̪ˠəx] , meaning 'the middle townland')
560-753: Is a town in County Antrim , Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 census , making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland by population. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim . The town was built on the Braid River , on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a Saturday market in perpetuity. Surrounding villages are Cullybackey , Ahoghill , Broughshane , and Kells-Connor . The recorded history of
616-421: Is also struggling, citing a downturn in orders. It is hoped that the creation of a manufacturing hub at the former Michelin site will attract businesses to the area. In March 2000, the actor Liam Neeson , a native of Ballymena, was offered the freedom of the borough by the council, which approved the action by a 12–9 vote. Neeson declined the award, citing tensions, and affirmed he was proud of his connection to
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#1732780435273672-431: Is one of the four banks that issue pound sterling banknotes in Northern Ireland . In common with the other Big Four banks of Northern Ireland , Ulster Bank retains the right to issue its own banknotes. These are pound sterling notes and equal in value to Bank of England notes , and should not be confused with banknotes of the former Irish pound , which was the official currency of the Republic of Ireland until it
728-682: The Republic of Ireland with some of its rivals in order to reduce its holding, with RBS Group's annual results for 2013 having revealed that Ulster Bank had operating losses of £1.5 billion and accounted for a fifth of the parent group's total bad debt charges, although in October 2014, RBS had confirmed it would retain Ulster Bank following improved market conditions in Ireland. However, Ulster Bank's operations in Ireland had been formally split into two separate entities in Northern Ireland and
784-562: The Republic of Ireland ). Prior to the closure of Ulster Bank in the Republic of Ireland in April 2023, the headquarters of Ulster Bank in the Republic of Ireland were located on George's Quay , Dublin , whilst the headquarters of Ulster Bank Northern Ireland are in Donegall Square East, Belfast , and it maintains a large sector of the financial services in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Established in 1836, Ulster Bank
840-610: The Republic of Ireland , the bank is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland . The bank provides a Debit Mastercard to customers with their current accounts, in addition to other financial services. It launched 15 new commitments to its retail customers in September 2010. Until 1963/1964, Ulster Bank did not use a logo in the modern sense, and for branding purposes it used either its name alone or its name together with its coat of arms. From 1964–1965, it began to develop
896-850: The Second World War , Ballymena was home to a large number of evacuees from Gibraltar . They were housed with local families. In the 1950s St Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena was the Regimental Training Depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th). Many young men who had been conscripted on the United Kingdom mainland, along with others who had volunteered for service in the British Army, embarked upon their period of basic training in
952-577: The 1990s. In 1997, it opened its new head offices at George's Quay, Dublin. In 2000, Ulster Bank opened a new office at Donegall Square East, Belfast. Its parent, National Westminster Bank, was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland group in 2000. In 2001, Ulster Bank's banking business in the Republic of Ireland was transferred to Ulster Bank Ireland Ltd in accordance with Irish law. In 2002, three Ulster Bank employees were arrested on charges of theft and money laundering. The three were responsible for
1008-584: The 2010s. Notable employers were Michelin in Broughshane, JTI Gallaher in Galgorm, and Wrightbus . In November 2012, the Patton Group, a major builder entered administration with the loss of 320 jobs. In October 2014, it was announced that JTI Gallagher's would be closing with a loss of 877 jobs. In November 2015, Michelin decided to close their Ballymena factory after 50 years, resulting in
1064-649: The Adairs disposed of most of their Ballymena estate to the occupying tenants in 1904. The old market hall building, which also contained the post office and estate office, burned down in 1919. The new Ballymena Town Hall was officially opened by the Duke of Abercorn on 20 November 1928. The Urban District Council petitioned for borough status and the Charter was granted in December 1937. The first meeting of councillors as
1120-466: The Ballymena area dates to the Early Christian period , from the fifth to the seventh centuries. Ringforts are found in the townland of Ballykeel, and a site known as Camphill Fort in the townland of Ballee may also have been of this type. There are a number of souterrains within a 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (2.0 km) radius of the centre of Ballymena. Two miles (3.2 kilometres) north in
1176-638: The Castle, which still exists. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , the local Ballymena garrison were defeated by Irish rebels in the battle of Bundooragh. Ballymena's first market hall was built in 1684. In 1710, during moving of the casements from the General Horde, it was found that several books belonging to the Duke of First Parish were left among the casements. These books were returned to
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#17327804352731232-643: The Irish interests of Lombard Bank and North Central Finance. It adopted the slogan "the friendly bank". In 1980, Ulster Bank introduced the "Henri Hippo" money box and savings plan for schoolchildren. In 1989, it launched the Ulster Bank Visa card. During the 1990s, Ulster Bank installed ATMs at non-branch locations and had the largest network of ATMs in Ireland by 1995. It introduced the Switch debit card and continued to expand its branch network throughout
1288-643: The Regimental Depot, prior to being posted to the regular regimental battalions. Many of these young men were to serve in Korea, Cyprus and with the British Army of the Rhine. In 1968 due to a series of government austerity measures, the remaining three Irish regiments, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (27th) Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd & 86th) and the Royal Irish Fusiliers (89th) merged to become
1344-414: The Republic of Ireland in 2015. In February 2021, following an extensive review, NatWest Group confirmed plans to withdraw Ulster Bank from the Republic of Ireland, with a "phased withdrawal" over the "coming years". In May 2022, Ulster Bank announced it would close nine branches across Northern Ireland in the following three months. Ulster Bank began freezing certain current and deposit accounts in
1400-501: The Republic of Ireland on 11 November 2022, which were to be closed 30 days later, as part of its staggered process of eventually closing all such accounts. Twenty-five of their branches closed on 6 and 13 January 2023 and were taken over by Permanent TSB . The remaining 63 branches closed on 21 April 2023. On 21 November 2023, Ulster Bank announced it would close a further 10 branches in Northern Ireland in 2024, thereby reducing its total number of branches to 25. Ulster Bank provide
1456-658: The Royal Irish Rangers. Early in the 1990s the Royal Irish Regiment , whose Regimental Headquarters was at St Patrick's Barracks, was granted the Freedom of the Borough. Like other towns in Northern Ireland, Ballymena was affected by the Troubles , a lengthy period of religious and partisan tensions and armed confrontations from the 1960s until 1998. A total of eleven people were killed in or near
1512-421: The administration of its lending activities in the Republic of Ireland would be moved from Belfast to Dublin. In 1968, Ulster Bank's parent bank (by then named Westminster Bank) amalgamated with National Provincial Bank to form National Westminster Bank. In the 1970s, Ulster Bank introduced mobile banks in some rural areas. It moved to a new head office on Donegall Place, Belfast. In 1975, Ulster Bank acquired
1568-742: The army of Richard de Burgh , the Anglo-Norman Earl of Ulster . On 10 May 1607, during the Plantation of Ulster , King James I of England granted the native Irish chief, Ruairí Óg MacQuillan, the Ballymena Estate. The estate passed through several owners, eventually passing into the possession of William Adair, a Scottish laird from Kinhilt in southwestern Scotland. The estate was temporarily renamed "Kinhilstown" after Adair's lands in Scotland. The original castle of Ballymena
1624-464: The bank were John Heron, Robert Grimshaw, John Currell, who was a linen bleacher from Ballymena , and James Steen, a Belfast pork curer. Ulster bank opened for business on 1 July 1836 on Waring Street, Belfast. It issued its own banknotes from the outset. Within a year, it opened branches at Antrim, Armagh, Ballymoney, Comber, Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Lurgan, Portadown and Tandragee. In the following two decades, it opened eleven more branches throughout
1680-469: The bank's security measures during the trial. In 2003, Ulster Bank Group purchased First Active , Ireland's oldest building society , for €887 million, with First Active retaining its separate identity. In 2005, Ulster Bank's logo was changed to the "daisy wheel" of Royal Bank of Scotland. In 2009, the First Active branch network and business of several hundred thousand savers and borrowers
1736-558: The church in agreement with the terms set forth by the Duke. In 1690, during the Williamite-Jacobite War , Williamite general the Duke of Württemberg used Galgorm Castle as his headquarters. Sir Robert Adair raised a Regiment of Foot for King William III and fought at the Battle of the Boyne . By 1704, the population of Ballymena had reached 800. In 1707, the first Protestant ( Church of Ireland ) parish church
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1792-426: The correct rates. It transpired that in the Republic of Ireland from 2008, Ulster Bank Ireland dac had encouraged customers on tracker mortgages to switch to the more-profitable fixed rate mortgages as interest rates on tracker mortgages, which is set to the European Central Bank borrowing rate plus 1%, reduced significantly due to the 2008 financial crisis . As part of this, mortgage customers were not told about
1848-434: The destruction of old banknotes at the bank's former Waring Street cash centre. Between November 2001 and February 2002, they were accused of stealing approximately UK£900,000 of used banknotes designated for disposal. The money was then placed in various bank and building society accounts. On 23 January 2004, the men were jailed for two and a half years for the theft of £770,000. Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr criticised
1904-580: The end of Castle Street. At the end of the fifth century, a church was founded in Connor, five miles (8.0 kilometres) south of Ballymena. This was followed by a monastery at Templemoyle, Kells. In 831, Vikings invaded the area and burned the church. In the late 12th century, the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland and conquered much of what is now eastern Ulster, creating the Earldom of Ulster . They built
1960-571: The first anniversary of the death of former Northern Irish and Manchester United footballer, George Best . This was the first Ulster Bank banknote to incorporate the RBS "daisy wheel", and the entire issue was taken by collectors within hours of becoming available in bank branches. In 2019, Ulster Bank issued a new series of banknotes printed in polymer, which replaced its paper equivalents that were previously in circulation. On 8 February 2008, Ulster Bank Group Chief Executive, Cormac McCarthy, announced
2016-531: The flying of republican flags; the town has tried to reduce tensions. In 2011 it was revealed that Ballymena has the third-highest level of legal gun ownership in Northern Ireland. Ballymena competed for city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours . However, the bid was unsuccessful. Ballymena was traditionally a market town. The 1980s were a time of job losses in Ballymena as industry suffered and this reoccurred in
2072-399: The largest IT failures the world has ever known. Ulster Bank (the smallest part of the RBS group) was to initially set aside £28 million for compensation to customers. In 2015, the Central Bank of Ireland opened an investigation into the lenders which sold tracker mortgages, finding Ulster Bank, KBC Bank Ireland , Permanent TSB , Bank of Ireland and AIB had denied their customers
2128-513: The loss of up to 850 jobs. On census day (21 March 2021) there were 31,205 people living in Ballymena. Of these: On census day (27 March 2011) there were 29,551 people living in Ballymena, accounting for 1.63% of the NI total, representing an increase of 2.9% on the 2001 census population of 28,717. Of these: There are a number of educational establishments in the town. These include: Ballymena railway station opened on 4 December 1855. A station
2184-600: The nine counties of Ulster. In 1860, Ulster bank opened a new head office on Waring Street, Belfast, together with branches in Sligo and in Ardee, Co. Louth. In 1862, it opened an office at College Green, Dublin. Over the following twelve years, it opened another 24 branches. It established a limited liability company in 1883, named Ulster Bank Ltd. It opened further branches in Dublin, on Baggot Street and Camden Street, and moved to
2240-585: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland ). Ulster Bank Ulster Bank ( Irish : Banc Uladh ) is a large retail bank, and one of the traditional Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group was subdivided into two separate legal entities: National Westminster Bank Plc, trading as Ulster Bank (registered in England and Wales and operating in Northern Ireland ); and, until April 2023, Ulster Bank Ireland DAC (registered in
2296-540: The risks of moving to a fixed rate, and were instead encouraged with the offer of constant mortgage repayments and interest. Other customers were offered a temporary switch to a fixed rate mortgage, with the promise of being moved back to a tracker rate after a time period, which did not occur until customers complained as per a company policy introduced in 2011. The Central Bank of Ireland ultimately fined Ulster Bank Ireland DAC €37.774 million on 25 March 2021, after discovering 5,940 customers had been directly affected by
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2352-462: The scandal, along with 49 separate regulatory breaches. In September 2020, The Irish Times reported that NatWest was considering closing all Ulster Bank operations in the Republic of Ireland , a process that would take around six years. The bank would continue to operate in Northern Ireland . It had previously been reported in March 2014 that the then RBS Group was considering merging the bank in
2408-530: The screening of Brokeback Mountain (2005), starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger , as it featured a homosexual relationship. An impersonator of comic Roy 'Chubby' Brown was also banned. The majority of the town's Catholic population is situated around the Broughshane and Cushendall Road areas. Recently there has been tension in the Dunclug area of the town which now has a Catholic majority. These tensions have been associated with internment bonfires and
2464-640: The show to the site of the former HM Prison Maze , near Sprucefield , in Lisburn. The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society redeveloped the area of the site purchased into Northern Ireland's largest events venue, the Eikon Exhibition Centre . In 2018, the RUAS celebrated the 150th Balmoral Show at the new Balmoral Park site. The event was cancelled in the years from 1915 to 1918 (World War I), from 1940 to 1945 (World War II) and in 2020 (as part of
2520-474: The town by the IRA and various loyalist groups. During the later half of the 20th century, Ballymena, like many other once prosperous industrial centres in Northern Ireland, experienced economic change and industrial restructuring; many of its former factories closed. Since the 2010s Ballymena has seen a decline in its retail and manufacturing sectors. Both Michelin and JTI have left the area. Local firm Wrightbus
2576-681: The town. Ian Paisley was eventually made a freeman of Ballymena in December 2004 instead. Ballymena is described by some observers as being at the heart of Northern Ireland's equivalent of the Bible Belt . It has a large Protestant majority. In the early 1990s the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)-dominated town council banned a performance by the ELO Part II in the township, saying they would attract "the four Ds Drink, Drugs, Devil and Debauchery". The Council banned
2632-402: The townland of Kirkinriola, the medieval parish church and graveyard show signs of Early Christian settlement, including a souterrain. Also in 1868, a gravedigger found a large stone slab on which was carved a cross with the inscription ord do degen . This refers to Bishop Degen, who lived in Ireland during the seventh century. This stone is now in the porch of St Patrick's Church of Ireland , at
2688-545: Was about 4,000. In 1848 the Belfast and Ballymena Railway was established. In 1865 Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (late Baron Waveney ) started building Ballymena Castle, a magnificent family residence, in the Demesne. The castle was not completed until 1887. In 1870 The People's Park was established. In 1900, Ballymena assumed urban district status. Under the provisions of the Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 ,
2744-602: Was acquired by the London County and Westminster Bank in 1917. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Westminster Bank (NatWest), it became part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group in 2000. RBS Group was renamed NatWest Group in 2020. However, the Ulster Bank brand is used on the island of Ireland . The bank has 146 branches in the Republic of Ireland and 90 in Northern Ireland, with over 1,200 non-charging ATMs. It has over 3,000 employees and over 1.9 million clients. On 19 February 2021, NatWest Group announced
2800-507: Was built in the early 17th century, situated to take advantage of an ancient ford on the River Braid. In 1626 Charles I confirmed the grant of the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, giving him the right to hold a market at Ballymena every Saturday. He hired local Irish as workers on the estate; they served as tenant farmers for much of the next two centuries and more. Galgorm nearby was granted to Sir Faithful Fortescue . In 1618 he built
2856-419: Was built. In 1740, the original Ballymena Castle burned down. The Gracehill Moravian settlement was founded in 1765. During the 1798 rebellion , Ballymena was occupied from 7 to 9 June by a force of around 10,000 United Irishmen . They stormed the market hall, killing three of its defenders. The first modern Roman Catholic Church in Ballymena was consecrated in 1827. By 1834 the population of Ballymena
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#17327804352732912-665: Was held in Ormeau Park in association with the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland. In 1894, the showgrounds at Balmoral were purchased and works were completed in time for the opening of the yearly Annual Show, subsequently renamed the Balmoral Show, on 30 June 1896. The King's Hall, Belfast opened its doors at the Balmoral site in 1934. In 2012, RUAS members voted to purchase and relocate
2968-617: Was merged with Ulster Bank, and the brand name was retired in 2010. In 2011, Ulster Bank brought the struggling County Down development The Outlet , Ulster Bank later sold the shopping outlet to Lotus Property in 2016. In June 2012, a computer system failure prevented customers from accessing accounts. Initial estimates that the problem would be sorted out within a week were wildly optimistic, with thousands of customers still unable to access their accounts into late July 2012, with ongoing issues still not resolved by mid-August 2012. This RBS / NatWest / Ulster Bank issue has proved to be one of
3024-430: Was opened at Harryville on 24 August 1878, but closed on 3 June 1940. The Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway operated narrow gauge railway services from Ballymena to Parkmore from 1875 to 1940. The Ballymena and Larne Railway was another narrow gauge railway. The line opened in 1878, but closed to passengers in 1933 and to goods traffic in 1940. Between 1878 and 1880 the line terminated at Harryville, but
3080-495: Was replaced by the euro in 2002. Ulster Bank's current notes all share the same design of a view of Belfast Harbour flanked by landscape views; the design of the reverse is dominated by the bank's coat of arms. The principal difference between the denominations is their colour and size. Notes incorporate a foil patch security feature depicting the bank's logo. In November 2006, Ulster Bank issued its first commemorative banknote – an issue of one million £5 notes commemorating
3136-537: Was then extended to the town's main railway station. Association football clubs in the area include Ballymena United F.C. , Coaching For Christ, Southside Rangers F.C. and Wakehurst F.C. Ballymena RFC is a local rugby union club. All Saints GAC is the only Gaelic Athletic Association club in the town. Other Ballymena sports clubs include Ballymena Cricket Club , Ballymena Lawn Tennis Club and Ballymena Bowling Club. Townlands are traditional land divisions used in Ireland. Ballymena covers all or part of
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