Bellaghy
Bellaghy
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 Road into Bellaghy in 2007 |
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| Bellaghy shown within Northern 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 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Bellaghy (from Irish: Baile Eachaidh, meaning "Eachaidh's Town") 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.
There had long been Gaelic settlements in this area. Archaeological 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.
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.
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Wikipedia