Bellaghy is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The name Bellaghy (Baile Eachaidh in Irish) means "Town of Eachaidh" Other translations give the town the name Béal Eochaidh which means "mouth of the marsh" or "wet place". It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north of Magherafelt. At the centre 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 within the Magherafelt District Council area. A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Derry Area: 2,074 km² Population (est. ... Motto: [citation needed] (French for God and my right)2 Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair... Lough Neagh Lough Neagh (pronounced ; Irish Loch nEathach ) in Northern Ireland is the largest lough, or body of freshwater by surface area, in the British Isles, with an area of 388 square kilometres. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Portglenone is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 14 km west of Ballymena, at latitude 54:51:40N and longitude 6:30:46W. It had a population of 1,219 people in the 2001 Census. ... Toome (in Irish: Tuaim, ie pagan burial place; also called Toomebridge) is a small village bordering County Antrim and County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh. ... UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ... Magherafelt District Council is a Local Council in County Derry in Northern Ireland. ...

History

Although it is suspected that there were Celtic settlements in the area beforehand, Bellaghy was one of the first planned towns in Ireland. The village dates back to the 17th century when it was one of many towns settled and built under the authority of the Vintners Company of London as part of the Plantation of Londonderry. The company hoped to rename the town from Bellaghy to "Vintnerstown" but the name didn't catch on and the original name endured. In 1622, according to a manuscript of a Captain Thomas Ash, it seems that Bellaghy consisted of a church, a castle, a Corn Mill and 12 houses. A century (From the Latin cent, one hundred) is one hundred consecutive years. ... The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ... The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ... Events January 1 - In the Gregorian calendar, January 1 is declared as the first day of the year, instead of March 25. ...

The 17th century Bawn at Bellaghy is the best restored example to be found anywhere in Northern Ireland. The original was virtually destroyed in the 1641 rebellion when most of Bellaghy was burnt to the ground. Locally it is still referred to as "the castle" and it is located in Castle Street. Bellaghy Bawn was opened to the public in 1996 and features exhibitions on local natural history and history, and on poetry by local Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney and other contemporary Irish writers. The Bawm are a tribal group living in the Bandarban district and a small fraction in the Rangamati district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. ... The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup détat by Irish Catholic gentry, but rapidly degenerated into bloody intercommunal violence between native Irish Catholics and English and Scottish Protestant settlers. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. ...

People

Seamus Heaney, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, described as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats", grew up in Bellaghy and much of his work reflects life there. Irish republicans Francis Hughes and Thomas McElwee] were from the village and died on the 1981 Irish hunger strike. They were cousins. Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. ... Nobel Prize in Literature medal. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Pronounced fee-na fall.) (English: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... Francis Hughes was an Official IRA, and later, Provisional IRA guerrilla who participated in dozens of attacks on British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary targets. ... Thomas McElwee (30 November 1957 - 8 August 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and member of the Provisional IRA. He was sent to prison in September 1977 and was invloved in the blanket protest. ... -1...

Sport

The Wolfe Tones GAC club in Bellaghy are one of the most successful and famous Gaelic football clubs in Ireland. They have a strong tradition of success and have won more Derry county titles than any other club. They won the All-Ireland club championship in 1972. Senior Club Championships Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAC (Irish:Béal Eochaidh) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Bellaghy. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

2001 Census

Bellaghy is classified as a Village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie 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: April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2001. ...

• 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 a Catholic background and 14.0% were from a Protestant background
• 4.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service Protestantism is one of three main groups currently within Christianity. ...

References

• BBC - Your Place and Mine
• Environment and Heritage Service - Bellaghy Bawn
• Draft Magherafelt Area Plan 2015
• Ballyscullion CoI Parish Church
• Culture Northern Ireland

External links

• Bellaghy Parish

See also

• Bellaghy GAC
• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland