Bellaghy
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(September 2013) |
Bellaghy
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|---|---|
| Village | |
 Entering Bellaghy from Old Town Road,Seamus Heaney HomePlacein centre, August 2023 | |
  Location withinNorthern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,063 (2001 Census) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MAGHERAFELT |
| Postcode district | BT45 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Bellaghy(fromIrishBaile Eachaidh,meaning 'Eachaidh's town')[1][2]is avillageinCounty Londonderry,Northern Ireland.It lies north west ofLough Neaghand about 5 miles north east ofMagherafelt.In the centre of the village (known locally as The Diamond) three main roads lead to Magherafelt,PortglenoneandToome.It had a population of 1,063 people in the2001 Censusand is withinMid-Ulster District.
Bellaghy is home to various historical landmarks, including a well-preserved 17th century fortified house,Bellaghy Bawn,which is now a museum. AGrade B+ thatched cottageis present in the Bellaghy outskirts. The village is also known as the birthplace, childhood home and resting place of poetSeamus Heaney(1939–2013), who won theNobel Prize for Literature.There is anarts centrein the village dedicated to Heaney.[3]
History
There had long beenGaelicsettlements in this area. Archaeological evidence has been found in the village of a Gaelicringfort.
In the early 17th century, Bellaghy became one of many towns planned, built and settled under the authority of theVintners Company of London,as part of the EnglishPlantation of Ulster.In 1622, according to a manuscript of a Captain Thomas Ash, Bellaghy consisted of a church, a castle, a corn mill and twelve houses.
During the Plantation, English colonials built afortified housein the village. It had surrounding walls and two circular towers at opposite corners. Recent excavations have revealed that the fortified house was built on the site of a former Gaelic ringfort. During the1641 rebellionthe house was attacked by Irish rebels, but it remained intact. Many other houses in the village were burnt to the ground. Locally it was called "The Castle" and is located on Castle Street. The refurbished house was opened to the public in 1996 as Bellaghy Bawn. It is a museum featuring exhibitions on local history.
In May 1922, during theIrish War of Independence,theIrish Republican Armylaunched an attack on BellaghyRoyal Irish Constabularybarracks, killing an RIC officer and wounding three others. An IRA volunteer was also killed and three captured.[4]
Notable people
Seamus Heaney,who became aNobel Prize-winning poet, was born as the eldest of nine children at Mossbawn, his family's farm in Bellaghy. He later lived inDublinbut is buried in the graveyard of St Mary's Catholic Church, Bellaghy. The village has an arts centre dedicated to him, known as theSeamus Heaney HomePlace.The centre features talks, poetry readings, and performances. It has exhibits of photographs, texts, and poems to show the influence of place on his language.[3]
Others to hail from the village include World Outdoor Bowls championMargaret Johnston,[5]international footballerSarah McFaddenandEurovision 2022entrant for IrelandBrooke Scullion.[6]
Two Bellaghy natives,Francis Hughesand his cousinThomas McElwee,died participating in the1981 Irish hunger strikeduringThe Troubles.They were protesting at the treatment by the British and supporting political change in Northern Ireland. Other republicans from Bellaghy include formerIrish National Liberation Army(INLA) leaderDominic McGlinchey.
2001 Census
Bellaghy is classified as a Village by theNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency(NISRA), i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people. On Census day (29 April 2001), there were 1,063 people living in Bellaghy. Of these:
- 31.4% were aged under 16 years and 12.7% were aged 60 and over
- 49.9% of the population were male and 50.1% were female
- 86.0% were from aCatholicbackground and 14.0% were from aProtestantbackground
- 4.6% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed
See also
References
- ^"Bellaghy, County Derry".placenamesni.org.Place Names NI.Retrieved26 November2018.
- ^BellaghyPlacenames Database of Ireland.Retrieved: 2013-09-01.
- ^abRoslyn Sulcas, "Ireland Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Nobel Prize-Winning Poet",New York Times,17 October 2016
- ^Lawlor, Pearse.The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign.Mercier Press, 2011. pp.268-269
- ^"Margaret Johnston MBE | Bellaghy Historical Society".Retrieved12 November2019.
- ^Carter, William (8 February 2022)."Ireland: Five Things to Know About Brooke Scullion".escYOUnited.Retrieved10 May2022.
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