Ardoyne
Irish: Ard Eoin
Meaning: “Eoin’s height” or “Eoin’s hill”
Earliest Record: 1606 land lease
Location: North Belfast, off Crumlin Road (historic Ardoyne Village)
Gaelic Name and Meaning
The name Ardoyne comes from the Irish Ard Eoin, meaning “Eoin’s height” or “Eoin’s hill”. The word ard means height or high place, while Eoin (a common Gaelic personal name, anglicised as John) refers to a person associated with the location.
Although some older sources suggested Ard Eoghain (“Owen’s height”), modern place-name research — including from the Northern Ireland Place-Name Project — confirms Ard Eoin as the historically accurate form. The distinction between Eoin and Eoghan was clear in local tradition, and the Irish form implies a high place linked to a person named Eoin from previous times.
Earliest Records
Ardoyne appears in a 1606 lease as a named half-townland in the parish of Shankill. The lease notes “Ardoyne” as part of what later became Edenderry townland. This confirms the name’s usage during the early Plantation period, suggesting it was already a known Irish site well before Belfast’s urban expansion.
Local tradition also associates Ardoyne with an early Irish settlement, supported by archaeological remains (e.g. ringforts on nearby Cave Hill).
19th-Century Development
In the early 1800s, Ardoyne transformed into an industrial village. In 1815, Michael Andrews relocated his damask weaving works from the city centre to Ardoyne Hill. He built:
By 1901, “Ardoyne Village” still appeared as a separate place in census records, distinct from Belfast proper. At that time, the area was known for producing high-end textiles: damask woven in Ardoyne carried a Royal Warrant and was used by both the British Royal Family and the Papacy.
Modern Usage
As Belfast expanded, the separate village was absorbed into the city. However, the name “Ardoyne” survived — in:
Today, Ardoyne refers to a well-known working-class district in North Belfast, preserving the original Gaelic name for the hill and townland.
Sources
Listed in The Belfast And Province Of Ulster Directory 1902.
"The City Surveyor reported that Mr. R. G. Todd desired the name Ardilea Place for a new street on his property off Ardoyne Avenue, but he (the City Surveyor) was instructed to request Mr. F. McKibbin, Estate Agent for Mr. Todd, to submit other names for consideration". (15th January 1935)