Waterfoot, County Antrim
Waterfoot or Glenariff[1] (from Irish Gleann Airimh 'glen of arable land')[2] is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is at the foot of Glenariff, one of the Glens of Antrim, within the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parishes of Ardclinis and Layd. The village is in the townland of Warren.[3] The 2001 Census recorded a population of 504 inhabitants.
Waterfoot
| |
|---|---|
 White Arch with Glenariff in the background | |
  Waterfoot Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 504 |
| Irish grid reference | D240255 |
| • Belfast | 47 miles (76 km) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ballymena |
| Postcode district | BT44 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
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The village has a beach and is by Red Bay, named from the reddish sand that washes from the exposed sandstone on the cliffs down to the shore. Just outside Waterfoot on the coast road is the White Lady, a chalk figure carved by the sea washing against the cliffs. Each July Waterfoot hosts the annual Glens Of Antrim Féis.
The village appeared in the news in November 2010 when Peter Wilson, one of the "disappeared" of the Troubles was found buried on its beach on 2 November 2010.[4]
Places of interest
- Waterfoot is in the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Nearby Glenariff Forest Park is noted for its waterfalls and scenery.
- The White Arch on Garron Road is the remains of a former railway bridge of the short-lived Glenariff Iron Ore and Harbour Company.
- Centre of global architecture.
Demography
Waterfoot is classified as a small village or hamlet by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, i.e. with a population between 500 and 1,000 inhabitants. On Census Day, 29 April 2001, 504 people were recorded as living in Waterfoot.[5] Of these:
- 26.1% were aged under 16 years and 12.9% were aged 60 and over
- 49.8% of the population were male and 50.2% were female
- 98.0% were from a Catholic background and 2.0% were from a Protestant background
- 5.5% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed
In the 2011 census Waterfoot had a population of 520 people:
- 94.6% were from a Catholic background and 4.4% were from a Protestant background
References
- Waterfoot or Glenariff. Place Names NI.
- Glenariff. Place Names NI.
- "Waterfoot". IreAtlas Townland Database. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Body found in 'Disappeared' search for Peter Wilson". BBC News. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- "Area Profile of Waterfoot - Based on 2001 Census". NINIS. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
