Names are important. They hold a lot of meaning. They are carefully chosen. Sometimes names get shortened. Sometimes they’re not quite spelt right. You probably like yours. But you might not. The Commons, as a new name for the building at 338 Ormeau Road, has been carefully chosen and holds a lot of meaning in the context of the purpose of the building .

The Commons as a name, probably conjures up in each reader’s mind, a different picture with a lot of accompanying interesting stories. We’d love to hear them. When I was a teenager, our youth group often met on the local ‘common’ to play ball games and generally ‘hang out’. The memories of long summer evenings, laughter and camaraderie are happy ones. The pond on my local common had all kinds of water birds visiting and often the odd Sainsbury’s trolley too.

Historically in Ireland, the commons were pieces of land that were shared by all the local people and used to graze livestock, celebrate festivals, hold sporting events such as archery and bowling, enact plays and of course, dispose of dung! Dublin had quite a few of these common lands just outside of the medieval city walls. You might recognise a few names – St Stephen’s Green, Abbey Green (which was connected to St Mary’s Abbey) and the Steine are among them. It seems that these existed from Viking times until the late 18th century.

Our very own townland name, Ballynafeigh, where The Commons is located, translates to ‘town on the green’ which beautifully connects to this historical context. The Ballynafeigh Community Development Association describes Ballynafeigh as ‘one of the longest surviving shared neighbourhoods in Belfast’. (June 2023)

Land law relating to these greens and commons, had its roots in the Brehon laws which date back to 1000 years BC. This ancient legal system of Ireland was handed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next until they were committed to paper by Irish judges, or Brehons in the 7th and 8th centuries. Under these laws the ownership of the commons was communal and not individual. These spaces were for everyone in the community, young and old to share and enjoy.

So, The Commons, Ormeau Road is a space ‘on the green’, where everyone in our local community can find something to share and enjoy. The seeds of these things are sown already in community meal, community choir and seasonal celebrations. But imagine for a moment, as the wider community comes in to take a look and to share the space, that more seeds of communal living will be sown and take root until a plethora of events and activities bringing us all together, will take on a wonderful rhythm in our common space.

Hopefully though, there won’t be too much disposal of dung!