From the Irish, "the Green Hollow", Poleglass was a town land until The Northern Ireland Housing Executive commenced building work in 1979. Key holders happily moved into the first estates, Old Colin and Colinmill in May of 1980. Since then twelve other estates have been built, bringing the total number of homes to 2,600 with a population of 10,000.

Poleglass Bytes is located in the Sally Gardens Community Centre, Belle Steele Road.

Belle Steele

In Cathal O’Byrne’s book As I Roved Out there are a couple of chapters on Miss Belle Steele. This eighteenth century Presbyterian lady lived in a cottage in the town land of Poleglass, along what we now know as the Stewartstown Road. Her place in history comes from her sympathy for the Catholic faithful who, under Penal Law, were denied their church buildings for worship. Belle Steel was the trusted custodian of the sacred vessels used in the Liturgy as well as a small horn used to summon the faithful to Mass. Her name is commemorated in the name (unfortunately mispelt) of one of the roads through Poleglass. She kept watch and provided warnings to the people attending mass when the soldiers were approaching. She is depicted in many of Belfast’s Nationlist Murals.

Pantridge Road

The Pantridge Road in Poleglass is named after the eminent Dr Frank Pantridge, Cardiac Surgeon in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital and the inventor of the Portable Cardiac Defibrillator. His invention has saved the lives of millions of heart attack sufferer’s worldwide by making early intervention possible. He lived in the town land of Poleglass off the Glen Road. Dr Pantridge died in Hillsborough aged 88 in December 2004.

De Lorean

Dunmurry’s claim to fame is The De Lorean DMC-12 which was manufactured in Dunmurry by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 through 1982. At least 8,500 DMC-12s were made before production ended in 1982, and as of 2006, 6,000 are estimated to still exist. It was famously featured in the Back to the Future trilogy.

Colin Glen Forest Park

Belfast’s largest and most visited Forest Park. The park encompasses 200 acres of woodland providing a habitat for wildlife and a beautiful place for walks. The entrance is situated on the Stewartstown Road, near Glengoland. Their website is at www.colinglentrust.org

Citizens Advice Bureau

Tuesday & Thursday 10.30 - 12.30 ring to arrange appointment. For further details contact the Sally Garden Community Centre Tel: 028 9043 2770