Bleary

Bleary (likely from Irish Bladhraigh)^[1] is a small village and townland in County Down,^[1][2] Northern Ireland. It is near the County Armagh border and the settlements of Craigavon, Lurgan and Portadown. In the 2011 Census its population was counted as part of Craigavon.^[3] It lies within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon area.

Bleary Irish: Bladhraigh
Bleary Location within County Down
Population	1,009  (estimate based on 2011 census)
Irish grid reference	J073540
• Belfast	24 mi (39 km)
District	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
County	County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CRAIGAVON
Postcode district	BT63 BT66
Dialling code	028
UK Parliament	Upper Bann
NI Assembly	Upper Bann
Website	www.craigavon.gov.uk
List of places UK Northern Ireland Down 54.423025°N 6.344948°W / 54.423025; -6.344948

History

The Troubles

• 18 June 1972 - Three British soldiers (Arthur McMillan (aged 37), Ian Mutch (aged 31) and Colin Leslie (aged 26)) were killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack. The bomb had been left in a derelict house in Bleary.
• 27 April 1975 - Loyalists shot dead three people in Bleary Darts Club. See Bleary Darts Club shooting
• 28 October 1993 - The UVF shot dead two Catholic brothers (Gerrard Cairns, 22, and Rory Cairns, 18) at their home in front of their eleven-year-old sister in Bleary, County Down.^[4]

Education

• Bleary Primary School ^[5]

Demography

2011 Census

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 1,009 people living in Bleary.^[6]

• 51.5% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion and 40.6% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion.
• 53.6% indicated that they had a British national identity, 20.4% had an Irish national identity, and 32.4% had a Northern Irish national identity.

There were 4,081 people living in the Bleary ward.^[7]

• 73.1% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion and 19.9% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion.
• 70.65% indicated that they had a British national identity, 11.43% had an Irish national identity, and 27.17% had a Northern Irish national identity.