Maghera

Maghera (from Irish Machaire Rátha 'Plain of the ring-fort') is a town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its population was 2,876 in 1991 and had risen to 3,711 people in the 2001 Census. It lies within the Magherafelt District Council area. It provides the local commercial centre for the surrounding viillages of Swatragh, Tobermore, Upperlands, Gulladuff and Knockcloghrim. The town is also the educational centre for the surrounding area and St. Patrick’s is one of the largest schools in Mid-Ulster. The Slaughtneil / Carntogher area around the town is unique for being the only rural community in Ireland outside of the Gaeltacht where the majority of primary school children are educated through the Irish language.The Annual Twelfth of July Celebrations will be held in Maghera this year. The last time this happened was 1993. Maghera also has parishes of Fallalea, Ranaghan and Glen. In the Roman Catholic parish church of St Patrick's there is a headstone remembering the large number of people who died during the plague.

Places of interest

Notable buildings in Maghera include St. Lurach's Church, which was founded in the year 500AD, originally as a monastery. The town of Maghera grew up around this church. The importance of the monastery was such that Maghera was a Bishop’s seat in the 12th century and 13th century. However the Church was allowed to fall into disrepair and is now a roofless ruin. Within the ruins, as an insert to the west wall is a sculpture of the crucifixion, which is thought to date from the 10th century - making it one of the oldest in Ireland.St Lurach is also the saint of the town.

History

Maghera suffered significant violence during the Northern Irish Troubles. In total, 14 people were killed, half of them members of the security forces and a further two as a result of family membership of the Ulster Defence Regiment. The IRA were responsable for ten of the 14 deaths.

See also: The Troubles in Maghera

Transport

• Maghera railway station opened on 18 December 1880, closed for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and finally closed altogether on 1 October 1959.

People

• Maghera is the birthplace of Charles Thomson, who emigrated to the United States where he became secretary of the Continental Congress. Thomson designed the Great Seal of the United States.
• Another famous person born in Maghera who later moved to the United States is the children's author Eve Bunting.
• Robert Hawthorne who won a Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny was from the town.
• Maghera was the birth place of the noted theologian Dr Henry Cooke. A statue of Cooke called the "Black Man" (due to its former colour, when covered in soot) stands outside Royal Belfast Academical Institution in Belfast.
• James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark and his grandfather James Johnston Clark, both MPs for County Londonderry, were born here at Largantogher House.
• William Shiels was born in Maghera[](3 December 1848 – 17 December 1904), Australian colonial politician, was the 16th Premier of Victoria.

Sport

• The local Gaelic football club is Watty Graham's Gaelic Athletic Club.
• The local soccer team is | Maghera Strollers F.C.

2001 Census

Maghera is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,711 people living in Maghera. Of these:

• 28.6% were aged under 16 years and 13.3% were aged 60 and over
• 49.3% of the population were male and 50.7% were female
• 72.4% were from a Catholic background and 27.1% were from a Protestant background
• 3.9% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

References

• Culture Northern Ireland

See also

• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• Market Houses in Northern Ireland

External links

• Maghera Old Church