Apologies first.
This Ormeau Bridge has no historical content. I hadn’t expected to be on it that day so I had no research done. The video is simply a walkabout.
I add some details about the Ormeau bridge and place them below.
Wikipedia tells me-
Ormeau Bridge Belfast
The Ormeau Bridge is a road bridge in Belfast, roughly 80m long, carrying the A24 Ormeau Road across the River Lagan from Stranmillis Embankment to Ormeau Embankment.
The bridge was opened in 1863 and designed by Charles Lanyon to a near-identical standard as his earlier Queen’s Bridge. It replaced an earlier, less stable structure dating from 1809. That bridge had been built to connect Newtownbreda village to Belfast. This route was known more commonly as the New Ballynafeigh Road before eventually taking on the name of Ormeau House, the Marquess of Donegall’s residence. Ravenhill Road was the Old Ballynafeigh Road. Ballynafeigh is the name of the townland through which most of the Ormeau Road runs. It is an anglicisation of the Irish Baile na Faiche meaning ‘townland of the lawn or green.
At some point in the 20th century the bridge was widened to accommodate increased traffic, by the addition of cantilevered segments on either side.
At the junction with Annadale Embankment there is a ‘ghost bike’.
( A ‘ghost bike’ remembers a cyclist who sadly lost their life on the road near this spot. It is there to remind traffic and cyclists that road use errors cost lives that can never be replaces. Drive and cycle carefully! )
C morning to you it’s the 14th of December and it is coming up to 12:00 and I’m walking across ormo bridge and I know nothing about Oro Bridge don’t know when it was built or anything else I can’t see any PL up or or whatever this is the river Lagan uh it’s quite wide at this point and over the last 40 years there’s been an enormous effort by the pars of Bay City Council I presume to clean up the river and they’ve done a remarkable job have to have to give them credit cuz there’s all manner of fish have been seen in the river and certainly the bird life around the river is uh is remarkable as well R has stopped for a we while we’ve had uh a good day yesterday and it’s uh it’s quite um it’s reasonable this morning for for winter temperatures about 10 that’s heading on up along the anadale embankment up to towards St melis the Lagan to path uh follows on from St melis lovely walk to rurn no I can’t see any um PL percentage going to cross the road now so I’m going to have to press the we legs to to get the traffic to stop and you can see uh the water level actually is well up here this is due to the fact that it hasn’t stopped running it literally hasn’t stopped running I don’t know anything about this bridge I don’t know uh what it replaced because maybe there was an original bridge in before it um so uh I don’t know when the new bridge replaced the old bridge or or anything about it and that’s noral park over there and that’s a continuation of the anadale embankment on over to the oone and beer Bridge Road and East Belfast and all the rest of it I’m just putting this we video up for folks who have moved away uh maybe bring back a few memories maybe you remember walking or cycling or driving over armo bridge and maybe you are far far away as the old sled sound I’m getting a bit of bit of hassle there that’s another one I love it well this is actually not an ideal embankment this is oral embankment oh the DS that’s uh donda football club and we’re crossing the road that’s armo Road Library over there and they had a a a sculpture out the front and somebody unfortunately nicked it so I can’t remember what it was off but it’s very very disappointing this is the entrance to armal park some nice uh PLS that’s the Bas is that the Bas one not too sure proton proton quid that this I presume these are all Palestinian type uh flags and Ukrainian flags and all the rest of it and this whole area dates back from the 1600s that from for yourself this was Once Upon a Time the armal domain purchased by uh Belfast Corporation 1869 reopened 1870 as ormo Park green it certainly is and incorporates Oro Golf Club formed in 1893 and one of the oldest golf clubs in land there AR and for 115 years oral Bakery supplied the people of Belfast with delicious array of uh all sorts of bread there’s the there they are soda bread Barn bre poo bread and kicks building now serves as residential use that’s disappointing you know noral briy was a big thing further up the road is B the Mist Church which uh I believe has closed and that’s looking up to armal beway on up there
10 Comments
Hi Tom, the original Ormeau Bridge was built between 1818 and 1822 but was later found to be unusable, The new bridge was completed in 1863.
I used to walk to Park Parade school from Ava Crescent via Annadale Embankment and through Ormeau Park. It was one morning circa 1959/60 when I was approaching the bridge and saw a dead body floating down. I called the police from the telephone box near Ormo Bakery. I think it was the Belfast Telegraph later that evening or next day. Boy, did I hate that walk every day, especially during the winter. I suffered badly from asthma, and consequently was often late and out of breath. My Form Master was a Mr Cuddy, and he daily gave me six of the best on each hand for being late. A brutal man, and I often wished I'd met him in later life!!! Ohh, those were days I never forgot!
Yes…I’ve walked over that bridge up into town. When I staying in an Airbnb just down the road in a house on South Down Parade near the Keenan legal office.
Morning Tom 🌄 yeah I know it well round there memories hope to come back over one day for a holiday I used to love silent valley and Newcastle 😊
Lovely area of the city. Ormeau park is a great escape from the Urban Hustle and Bustle. Haven't been there many times but always enjoyed it!
Hello Tom , when you were talking about the Ormeau bridge the first thing that came in my mind was bread is that the same as the Ormo ? the entrance to the park is very grand must have a beautiful estate at one time. Its good to see that a lot or places now are cleaning up the river and streams , its also a big thing here many of the smaller rivers and little stream are been cleaned up and re stocked . Thanks Tom .
Hello Tom I’m a new subscriber,born in Dundonald now living in Canada .Family came here in 1966.I remember walks with my dad down Stormond. My grandparents live on Robb’s road near you.Could you do a walk there.?
That A42 looks a busy road Tom,the entrance to the park is amazing, is there any reason for the two sets of gates? I presume traffic is allowed in so is there one way in and one way out? I would thing they are made out of wrought iron they are so attractive.
Particularly good sunsets viewed from the bridge this time of year.
Top of the evening to you Tom. Great views.
Hi Tom I enjoyed that video laughed at the local banter 😂
It sure looks a heavy congested area around there now.
Yes that was the Belfast coat of arms on the park gates.🇨🇦☘️🇬🇧