Antrim Road

The Antrim Road was initially a much shorter road than it is now and this smaller exit from the city centre was originally known as Duncairn Street. The road was one of the areas of the city to suffer sustained bombardment by the Luftwaffe as part of the Belfast Blitz of April and May 1941 and was amongst those hit the hardest resulting in a high number of casualties. On the night of 15/16 April 1941 German bombers launched their deadliest attack on Belfast. Shortly after the air raid sirens sounded at 10.40 pm, the Luftwaffe bombers began dropping incendiaries, powerful explosive bombs and parachute mines. North Belfast was first to be attacked and bore the brunt of the bombardment with…

The Antrim Road was the scene of several high-profile attacks and killings during the conflict known as the Troubles. The area was said to be notorious for the high level of paramilitary activity, especially Republican terrorists. It had previously had a fairly mixed population although the outbreak of the violence saw a significant demographic shift as Protestants moved out, leaving behind a mainly Catholic population in the lower areas of the road. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA) were all active in the area. Indeed, as late as 2011 the Antrim Road was still being affected by the hangover of the Troubles when…