Ballymena (pop. 58,610) is a local government district in Northern Ireland, centered on the town of Ballymena. It has rich agricultural land and is noted for salmon and trout fishing. Industrial products of the district include linen, cigarettes, and tires. Flax spinning and bleaching, bacon curing, and flour milling are also important. Kieselguhr, a clay used in dynamite, is mined in the Ballymena region.