Ballymacarrett
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Ballymacarrett is an electoral ward of East Belfast.
The ward was created in 1973 with most of the population coming from the former Pottinger ward. The ward was slightly enlarged in 1985, taking in part of the Island ward.
The ward consists of two distinct districts : Ballymacarrett itself, which is almost entirely Protestant, and the Short Strand which is almost entirely Catholic , with the two separated by a peaceline. Consequently in the 2001 census, the Roman Catholic community background figure was 51%.
In some ways the ward has been a microcosm of the Northern Ireland troubles. The June 1970 'Battle of Saint Matthew's' occupies an important place in Irish Republican history after a gun battle between Republicans and Loyalists attacking the church [1] and is seen as one of the key developments in the rise to prominence of the Provisional IRA [2] Similarly on the Ballymacarrett side of the peaceline, Protestant residents have claimed that Republicans are engaged in attacks on Protestant homes which amount to 'ethnic cleansing' - claims which Republicans dispute and deny [3].
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