placenamesWoodvale
Gleann na Coille
Woodvale Park has been a place for recreation in northwest Belfast since 1888.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Gleann na Coille · Irish · main form · validated name
- Woodvale · English · main form
Place & story
Opening the park gates
Belfast Corporation acquired the park land from Reverend Glover, who lived in Woodvale House. The proposed Shankill Park name gave way to Woodvale before its opening on 18 August 1888. The council’s history recalls that, when the expected dignitaries failed to arrive, a park ranger unlocked the gates himself for the waiting crowd. [2]
From skating pond to playground
The original park included a large pond where local people skated when winter ice permitted. After the Second World War the pond was filled and a children’s playground took its place. The Victorian park’s bandstand and planted beds remain part of a landscape that has accommodated changing kinds of recreation, from walking and bowls to football and community gardening. [2]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Antrim
- Barony
- Belfast Upper
- Civil parish
- Shankill
- Coordinates
- 54.60615, -5.97241 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 135873 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Woodvale. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Woodvale Park: History of the Park · Belfast City Council
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-05-26. How this page was prepared.