Moore Street was laid out in the 1870s as part of the rapid industrial expansion of East Belfast, particularly in the Ballymacarrett and Lagan Village areas. It is first listed in city directories by 1877, and a birth notice published in the Belfast Morning News confirms active residence at No. 2 Moore Street by June 1879 when James Lyness and his wife welcomed a son.
The street likely originated as a short terrace of red-brick houses developed privately by or under the influence of the Coates Family, industrialists who established the Lagan Foundry and laid out nearby streets including Woodstock Road and Swift Street. Moore Street would have provided affordable housing for workers employed in the nearby mills, foundries, and ropeworks.
The origin of the name “Moore” is uncertain, but likely refers to a person—possibly a landowner or associate of the Coates family involved in local development. The street featured both housing and small businesses, including a grocer and a public house at the Ravenhill Road end by the 1890s.
Moore Street’s modest housing and mixed-use corner premises reflected the urban character of 19th-century working-class Belfast.
Sources:
– Belfast Morning News, 28 June 1879 (birth notice for 2 Moore Street)
– Belfast Street Directories, 1877–1890
– History Hub Ulster: Coates family and Lagan Foundry
– Belfast Street Names Project (contextual reference for Coates Row)