Bellaghy

Bellaghy
Irish: Baile Eachaidh

Road into Bellaghy in 2007
 Bellaghy shown within Northern Ireland
Population 1,063 (2001 Census)
DistrictMid-Ulster District
CountyCounty Londonderry
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town MAGHERAFELT
Postcode district BT45
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
EU Parliament Northern Ireland
UK ParliamentMid Ulster
NI AssemblyMid Ulster
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
County Londonderry

Coordinates: 54°48′29″N 6°31′08″W / 54.808°N 6.519°W / 54.808; -6.519

Bellaghy (from Irish: Baile Eachaidh, meaning "Eachaidh's Town")[1] is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north east of Magherafelt. In the middle of the village lies the junction of three main roads leading to Magherafelt, Portglenone and Toome. It had a population of 1,063 people in the 2001 Census. It is situated within Mid-Ulster District.

It is known as the birthplace and childhood home of poet Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In October 2016 a new arts center, dedicated to him and known as the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, opened here. The $5.2 million building was constructed on the site of a former headquarters of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.[2]

History

There had long been Gaelic settlements in this area. Archeological evidence has been found in the village of a Gaelic ringfort.

In the early 17th century, Bellaghy became one of many towns planned, built and settled under the authority of the Vintners Company of London, as part of the English Plantation 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.

Bellaghy Bawn in 2007

During the Plantation, English colonials built a fortified house in the village. It had surrounding walls and two circular towers at opposite corners. This is the best restored example of a fortified house to be found anywhere in Northern Ireland. Recent excavations have revealed that the fortified house was built on the site of a former Gaelic ringfort.

During the 1641 rebellion by the Irish, the house was attacked, but it remained intact. Many other houses in the village were burnt to the ground. Locally it was always referred to as "The Castle;" it is located on what became known as Castle Street. The refurbished house was opened to the public in 1996 as "Bellaghy Bawn" (although that name was not used in the locality previously). It is operated as a museum featuring exhibitions on local natural history, the history of the Ulster Plantation, and the poetry of Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. Heaney was born in Bellaghy on his family's farm and lived here for most of his childhood. He later lived in Dublin but his body was returned here in 2013 after his death. He is buried in the graveyard of St Mary's Catholic Church.

The village has been the center of a rural community dominated by farming. Seamus Heaney, who became a Nobel Prize-winning poet, was born as the eldest of nine children at Mossbawn, his family's farm. A new arts center, dedicated to him and known as the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, opened here. The $5.2 million building was financed by the Mid-Ulster District Council. It was constructed on the site of a former headquarters of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which had a contentious role during the Troubles. The center will feature talks, poetry readings, and performances. It has exhibits of photographs, texts, and poems to show the influence of place on his language.[2]

Two Bellaghy natives, Francis Hughes and his cousin Thomas McElwee, died participating in the 1981 Irish hunger strike during the Troubles. They were protesting treatment by the British and supporting political change in Northern Ireland.

2001 Census

Bellaghy is classified as a Village by the NI 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:

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bellaghy.

References

  1. Bellaghy Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2013-09-01.
  2. 1 2 Roslyn Sulcas, "Ireland Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Nobel Prize-Winning Poet", New York Times, 17 October 2016


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.