Template:Wp-Ballymena

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Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.

The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a free Saturday market in perpetuity. , the Saturday market still runs. Ballymena is a shopping hub within Northern Ireland, and is home to Ballymena United F.C.

Ballymena incorporates an area of and includes large villages such as Cullybackey, Galgorm, Ahoghill and Broughshane. It had a population of 29,551 people at the 2011 Census, making it the eighth largest town in Northern Ireland by population.^[1]