Alliance Avenue runs from Ardoyne Road in the west to Oldpark Road in the east. It was the first street in this neighbourhood to be named with the word "Alliance", of which there are ten in total, making it key to the discussion of the name. It is difficult to ascertain which particular alliance accounts for its origin. In theory, this could be a local, national or international alliance of some kind, but it may help to know that the name was proposed by the Oldpark Development Co. in 1905.
One possibility is the Irish Unionist Alliance, which was the main pro-Union party in this pre-Partition era. It operated from 1891 to 1922. Another is the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, a pact signed in 1902, renewed in 1905 and in effect until 1923. It was signed at Lansdowne House in London by the Marquess of Lansdowne, the British Foreign Secretary, and Hayashi Tadasu, a Japanese diplomat. This alliance was of great importance to British imperial interests in Asia and was much reported on in newspapers in 1905. We would be interested if anyone can shed more light on this name.
Resolved - that on the application of the owners, The Oldpark Development Co., a new street on their property, situate off Oldpark road, be named 'Alliance Avenue'. (17th October 1905).
That the Oldpark Development Co. Ltd. be requested to submit another name instead of Earlspark Road for their new street situate off Alliance Avenue, Oldpark, as there is a street with an almost similar name in another part of the City. 18th September 1906.
Alliance Avenue features in the 1907 Belfast / Ulster Street Directory.
Dual language street sign (English and Irish) approved in December 2023.