One side of the main street in Templepatrick consists of the demesne wall of Castle Upton. A mock fortified gateway in the wall at the centre of the village leads to the castle itself. The core of the main house is a tower house with walls up to five feet thick, built in 1611 by Sir Robert Norton, but later bought in 1625 by Captain Henry Upton. The family mausoleum is in the care of the National Trust and is open to visitors.[6] The Templeton Hotel in the village was named after Lady Elizabeth Templetown, an aristocrat and writer who lived in Castle Upton in the 18th century. [7] In 2020 the Templeton became The Rabbit Hotel.[8]
9 November 1974 – Patrick Courtney (29) and William Tierney (31), both Catholiccivilians, were shot dead by the Protestant Action Force at their workplace, a garage, Clady Corner, near Templepatrick.[10]
1976
25 June 1976 – Ruby Kidd (28), Francis Walker (17) and Joseph McBride (56), all Protestantcivilians, were shot dead during a Republican Action Force gun attack on The Store Bar, Lyle Hill Road, Templepatrick.[11]
Sir Robin Kinahan (died 1997) and his son Danny Kinahan both politicians, of Castle Upton. Danny Kinahan is a cousin of Irish pop/rock star Chris De Burgh.
In the 2011 Census, Templepatrick had a population of 1,437 people (605 households).[5]
2001 Census
Templepatrick is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people).[14] On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,556 people living in Templepatrick. Of these:
19.4% were aged under 16 years and 20.6% were aged 60 and over
50.1% of the population were male and 49.9% were female
12.3% were from a Catholic background and 82.7% were from a Protestant background