After in-depth research and deliberation, Colin Neighbourhood Partnership has revealed the key historical people and places being included on the interpretative panels for the area.
The signage, a key part of a heritage trail centred on Cloona House, is designed to reflect the rich heritage of the Colin area and is part of the new Colin Heritage project.
The key historical people and places commemorated with the panels are:
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Belle Steele and the Penal Laws: Belle was a Protestant lady who guarded Mass rocks in penal times and alerted worshippers to the presence of troops enforcing anti-Catholic laws. A road in Poleglass bears her name
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Cloona House: a linen baron’s Italianate-style Victorian mansion that was home to pioneering author Beatrice Grimshaw before becoming British military HQ in Northern Ireland until the mid-1980s. Now home to Colin Community Partnership
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Bobby Sands: Twinbrook community activist and IRA hunger striker. Bobby Sand’s fast and subsequent death was a pivotal moment in the development of the republican movement’s adoption of a political, rather than purely military, strategy
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Frank Pantridge: the medical hero who invented the portable defibrillator, that has saved tens of thousands of lives, lived in Colin House above what is now Poleglass. A WW2 war hero, he survived the Japanese ‘Railway of Death’. A road in the area bears his name also
- Teeling’s Mill: (pictured above) remembering Bartholomew Teeling, hanged by the British for his role in the United Irishmen uprising in 1798. The family mill and bleach green below Colin mountain were central to his life and actions and the Teeling family were United Irishmen. It was burnt by their enemies in 1798.
Collating the rich history of Colin
The interpretive panels – four totems and a lectern – will be placed at areas synonymous with those being commemorated.
The lectern will be at Cloona House, with the Frank Pantridge totem being placed at the entrance to the new park being constructed on Stewartstown Road.
The Teeling’s Mill totem will be on a footpath at the historic site in Poleglass close to the Springbank Industrial estate, and the Bobby Sands panel will be in the heart of Twinbrook.
Belle Steele’s will be on Belle Steele Road, Poleglass, near St. Kieran’s primary school.
Historian Dr Eamon Phoenix, who was involved in the research and selection of the projects, said the choices reflect the context and diversity of the Colin area, which includes Twinbrook, Poleglass and surrounding districts.
“It’s a brilliant project and being able to showcase the rich history of the area is just fantastic,” he added.
It's fantastic to be able to showcase the area's rich history