Place Name

Artillery Road, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Where the Cannons are Stockpiled ready to Go!

Introduction

ight love, listen. Artillery Road sounds like the kinda place ye’d need a helmet an a permission slip to drive through. Ye hear the name an think ye’re about to see tanks parked up like they’re waitin for a parade. But naw. Ye get cows. Ye get hedges. Ye get a road so calm it’d put a toddler to sleep.

But here’s the thing: the name’s no accident. Back in the day this whole area had more soldiers than a Saturday night outside Lavery’s. Coleraine was a big strategic spot durin the Troubles an the army were everywhere.

So aye, the name’s a wee leftover from when things were a bit more lively than they are now.

These days the only thing firin shots is a farmer shoutin at a sheep that’s decided fences are optional.

Toponymy:

Let’s break down this name:

Artillery – Comes from the auld French for equip but let’s be honest it means big guns an things that go boom. Proper serious stuff. Not the kinda thing ye expect beside a field full of turnips.

Road – Straightforward. A road’s a road. This one just happens to be named after enough firepower to flatten a small town.

Together they make a name that sounds like it should come with a warning sign an a man in a uniform tellin ye to turn back.

Historical Context:

Right, here’s the craic. Artillery Road didn’t get its name because somebody thought it sounded cool. Coleraine was a major military hub durin the Troubles. Bases checkpoints barracks the whole shebang. Soldiers everywhere. Helicopters overhead. Boots on the ground. The works.

So the name’s a wee echo of all that. A reminder o the days when the army were movin gear up an down the place an the locals were tryin to get on with their lives in the middle of it.

Now? Ye’re more likely to see a Tesco delivery van than a convoy. Times change. The name stays. That’s Northern Ireland for ye.

Points of Interest:

When in the area do not drive on pop in to one o these:

• Coleraine Town Centre – A grand wee market town. Been there since before half the world figured out what a wheel was.

• Mountsandel Fort – The oldest known settlement in Ireland. Proper caveman stuff. No artillery, just flint an vibes.

• Riverside Theatre – On the Uni campus. Plays concerts an not a single mortar round in sight.

• Giant’s Causeway – A pile of rocks that looks class. UNESCO love it. Tourists lose their minds.

• Dunluce Castle – A cliffside ruin that looks like it’s about to fall into the sea but somehow never does.

Notable Figures:

People with an affinity to the region:

• John Hume – A man who did more for peace than half the politicians put together.

• Seamus Heaney – Poet. Legend. Could write about a spade an make ye cry.

• Daniel O’Donnell – Not from here but sure he’s everywhere anyway.

• Martin McGuinness – Big figure in the peace process. Knew the city inside out.

• Phil Coulter – Wrote half the songs your ma cries to.

Conclusion:

So there ye are. Artillery Road. Sounds like a battlefield looks like a postcard. A name with a past a road with a present an a vibe that’s pure Northern Ireland: a wee bit mad a wee bit meaningful an always worth a look.

If ye want more names that’ll make ye laugh shake your head or wonder what the planners were smokin get yourself over to www.strangeplacenames.com where the geography’s wild an the craic’s even wilder.

FACEBOOK - strangeplacenames

INSTAGRAM - strangeplacenames_2024