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HOL
HOLLYWOOD, a post-town and parish, in the
barony of LOWER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and
province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Belfast, and
84 (N.) from Dublin; containing 4693 inhabitants, of
which number, 1288 are in the town. In the year 1200,
Thomas Whyte founded at this place a Franciscan priory,
which was amply endowed, and continued to flourish
till the dissolution. Among its possessions were the
Copeland Isles, and the Isle of Rathlin or Raghery, to the
north of the county, which, with its other endowments,
were granted to Sir Jas. Hamilton in the 3rd of Jas. I.
On the 8th of April, 1644, a meeting of the Presby-
terian clergy and laity was held here, at which several
persons entered into “a solemn league and covenant for
the defence of the reformed religion, the safety of the
king, and the peace, happiness, and security of the three
kingdoms, and to secure and hold fast the league
and covenant with England;” the original document,
signed by 32 gentlemen, is preserved in the museum at
Belfast. The village, which is delightfully situated on
the eastern shore of Carrickfergus bay, and on the road
from Belfast to Bangor, previously to 1800 contained
only about 30 dwellings, chiefly poor cabins; but from
its proximity to Belfast, and its fine sandy beach, it has
since been greatly extended, and is now become a fa-
vourite place of resort for sea-bathing. It contains at
present 225 houses, mostly well built; bathing-lodges
have been erected for the accommodation of visiters,
a new road has been made along the shore, and a daily
mail has been established. There are several good lodg-
ing-houses in the village and its environs; and from the
increasing number of visiters, several houses in detached
situations, and chiefly in the Elizabethan style of archi-
tecture, are now in progress of erection on the Cultra
estate, by Thomas Ward, Esq., after designs by Millar.
These houses are sheltered with thriving plantations,
and beautifully situated on a gentle eminence com-
manding a richly diversified and extensive prospect of
Carrickfergus bay, the Black mountain, Cave hill, the
Carnmoney mountains, and the town and castle of
Carrickfergus, terminating with the basaltic columns
of Black Head. Close to the shore is an extensive
muscle bank; and about a mile to the north-west
of the town, in the lough, is a sand bank, called
the Hollywood bank, the greater part of which is
dry at low water, but which vessels may easily avoid
by sailing nearer to the northern shore. It is a con-
stabulary police station, and also a coast-guard station,
forming part of the district of Donaghadee. Fairs, prin-
cipally for cattle and horses, are held on the first Mon-
day in each quarter. A court leet and baron is held
every three weeks by the seneschal of the manor, for
pleas in civil bill cases to the amount of £10, and pleas
of record and attachment of goods and chattels to the
amount of £20; its jurisdiction extends over 27 town-
lands in the parish of Hollywood, Knockbreda, Dun-
donald, and Ballymacarett; but the prison not being
now used for that purpose, defaulters are sent to the
county gaol.
The parish comprises the two ancient parishes of
Ballymechan, or Columbkill, and Craigavad, both rec-
tories, one belonging to Hollywood priory, and the other
to the abbey of Bangor, which were, united in 1626,
under the name of Hollywood. It contains, according
to the Ordnance survey, 8064¼ statute acres, principally
6
HOL
under an improved system of tillage and in a high state
of cultivation. Freestone of excellent quality and coal
may be obtained, but the mines are not worked to any
extent. The surrounding scenery is finely varied, and
embellished with numerous gentlemen’s Seats; among
which are the episcopal palace of the Bishop of Down;
Cultra, the seat of H. Kennedy, Esq.; Ballymenock, of
T. Gregg, Esq.; Rockport, of I. Turnley, Esq.; Craiga-
vad, of A. Forbes, Esq.; Garnerville, of Capt. Garner;
Hollywood House, of J. Macartney, Esq.; Turf Lodge,
of J. Kane, Esq.; Knocknagoney, of Mrs. Kennedy;
Bloomfield, of J. Agnew, Esq.; Clifton, of Dr. Halli-
day; Richmond Lodge, of F. Turnley, Esq.; Wellington,
of W. Crawford, Esq.; Marino, of T. Ward, Esq.;
Greenville, of I Stott, Esq.; Glen Carrig, of Miss Symes;
and the Spa, of J. Cordukes, Esq. The living is an
impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Down, and in the
patronage of Viscount Dungannon, in whom the rectory
is impropriate. The tithes belong to the proprietors of
the soil, and are included in. the rent; the patron pays
£40 per ann., to the minister, which is augmented to £100
by the trustees of Primate Boulter’s fund; the glebe-
house was built in 1812, by a gift of £450 and a loan of
£50 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe com-
prises 12a. 4p. The church, which is at the eastern ex-
tremity of the village, is an ancient building, with
several antique heads in the outer wall, which are sup-
posed to have been the corbels of a former church, In
the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union
or district of Belfast, and has a chapel, which was built
in 1828. There is a Presbyterian meeting-house in con-
nection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class, and
one belonging to the Presbytery of Antrim. About 230
children are educated in five public schools, one of
which is supported by Mr. Turnley; and about 60
in two private schools; there are also two Sunday
schools. An establishment for the relief of the poor
is supported by subscriptions, in which 15 poor persons
constantly reside. The church occupies the site of the
ancient priory, of which there are no other remains; and
of the churches of Ballymechan and Craiguvad not a
vestige can be traced; the cemeteries of both were used
as places of interment till 1765, and in the former were
deposited the remains of Con O’Neil, the last of that
powerful sept, whose possessions comprised more than
one-third of the county of Down, and an extensive
district in the county of Antrim, in which was in-
cluded the now populous town of Belfast. Some carved
stones are preserved at Ballymechan, which are sup-
posed to have belonged to his tomb, but the sculpture
is of an earlier date; the site of that church is now a
garden and the churchyard an orchard, and at Craig-
avad only one solitary stone remains to mark the site
of the churchyard, which is now under cultivation.
A new species of rose was discovered in this parish by
John Templeton, Esq., which by the Dublin Society
was called “Rosa Hibernica,” and afterwards “Rosa
Templetonia,” in honour of the discoverer.
HOLLYWOOD, a parish, in the barony of BAL-
ROTHERY, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER,
4 miles (S. W.) from Balbriggan, on the road from
Dublin by Naul to Drogheda; containing 1022 inhabit-
ants. This parish, with respect to its agriculture, is in
an unimproved state, though good limestone for burn-
ing exists near the ruins of its ancient church; there is