Situated 32 km west of Belfast city centre and 4.6 km from Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove, Crumlin is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Crumlin's name is derived from the Irish cromghlinn (crooken glen), a reference to the winding course of the river and the fold of land it carves through.
The settlement is documented as far back as 1306, when the Church of Camelyn appears in diocesan taxation records. Camalyn (or Camlin) was once a Bishop's Mensal; its church served the community until it was destroyed in 1689 during the campaigns of King James II, after which worship shifted to Glenavy Parish Church. Today, the Crumlin (Camlin) River still winds through the town, flowing from Divis Mountain down to Lough Neagh.
In 1837, observers described the settlement as a long, wide street with a smaller branch road to the Antrim road, neat in appearance and plainly ordered by the river that ran through it. By the early 19th century, Crumlin was already a tidy, one-street village on the Camlin River, with a post office and school serving a few hundred people. Linen weaving and day labour defined much of its economy. By 1849, the settlement had become its own electoral division, a small but distinct civic footprint in Upper Massereene.
Water tends to bring industry. In 1765, Rowley Heyland built what became some of the most extensive flour mills in the country, powered by the river. The British government constructed substantial grain warehouses and encouraged wheat production in the surrounding region. By the 1830s, the mills were processing 3,000 tons of wheat and a similar amount of oats annually, sending thousands of tons of flour and oatmeal to the Clyde, Liverpool, and Manchester.
Soon, a flax mill was constructed, employing hundreds of people in town and the countryside weaving linen and cotton for Belfast and beyond. The ease of water communication via Lough Neagh connected Crumlin to broader markets. Monthly fairs for horses, cattle, and pigs turned the town into a regular meeting ground for farmers and dealers.
Water-powered flour milling, flax processing, and weaving anchored Crumlin's economy during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Camlin's drive power, the government's grain warehouses, and river-and-lough links made the town a node for grain handling and textile work, with exports moving to Scotland and northern England. Regular livestock fairs added to its economy.
The town's proximity to Belfast and immediate access to Belfast International Airport have drawn significant employers. Crumlin hosts the headquarters of Randox Laboratories and Lidl's Northern Ireland head office, positioning the town with international supply chains while offering local jobs.
Significant places in Crumlin include the Crumlin/Camlin River, which serves as a boundary and a lifeline. Once turning mill wheels, it now offers quiet fishing for salmon and dollaghan, the Lough Neagh trout that darkens with the seasons. Crumlin Glen is a local pocket of wildness where the river and trees gather.
The Clock Tower (1897) serves as a stone sentinel near the former station, constructed in memory of the Pakenhams, a landlord family that once set the town's tempo. The Crumlin Library is a small civic anchor that serves several purposes for residents and visitors.
Crumlin's educational landscape is impressive for such a small town. Crumlin Integrated College, founded in 2006 from the former Crumlin High School, became County Antrim's first post-primary to transition to integrated status, part of Northern Ireland's broader movement to educate children together rather than apart. At the primary level, the town includes St. Joseph's Primary School and Crumlin Integrated Primary, while Irish-medium education has taken root through Naiscoil Ghleann Darach (pre-school) and Gaelscoil Ghleann Darach (primary school), the latter recognised by the Department of Education. The growth of an Irish-speaking community is visible not only in classrooms but in local cultural groups that support classes, céilithe, bilingual quizzes, and family days.
Sports and recreation also have a place in Crumlin. Crumlin United F.C. fields teams from U-6 to senior, with a 9-acre ground and a full-size 3G pitch. Its entry into the County Antrim Senior Shield in 2018 marked a first taste of senior competitive football. St. James Aldergrove GAC (Gaelic Athletic Association) is a pillar for Gaelic games, with men's and ladies' football and a deep underage structure.
Several resources below offer links to Crumlin businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, libraries, museums, entertainment venues, organisations, sporting and recreational facilities, and events.
