Aghagallon
Encyclopedia
Aghagallon is a small village
in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. It is about three miles northeast of Lurgan
. It is part of the Craigavon Borough Council
area and had a population of 824 in the 2001 Census
.
Aghagallon has mainly developed along Aghalee
Road in a linear fashion with development to the southeast along Colane Road. St Patrick’s Church and adjacent primary school provide a central focus for the village. Although the village is named after the townland
of Aghagallon, it lies almost wholly within neighboring Derrynaseer townland.
In 1790 men from the nearby villiage of Waringstown accompanied by flute and drum under the command of Col. Sharp marched from Waringstown at the request of Lord Waring to plough and prepare a field in Aghagallon County Antrim for a friend and fellow English landowner and Orangeman.
Their journey from Waringstown to Aghagallon was a controversial one, with several incidents occurring along the way in the town of Lurgan.
As Col. Sharp and his men reached the Annaghdroghal Bridge just east of Aghagallon they were met by local men who refused them passage. A fight incurred and the Battle of Annaghdroghal began.
Col.. Sharp led his men in the first attack and was fatally wounded by "The Darkie McStravick," receiving a chest wound from a three pronged muck fork.
McStravick fled the scene and dumped the fork (The Three Pronged Revolver) down a dry well at Derryclone.
The fork was retrieved around 1890 from the well and was presented to a local museum by Phelim McStravick in 2008.
For fuller details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
and Ballinderry after clubs in these areas folded over the years. They currently play in Division II of the Antrim ACL and have a recently constructed playing field located on the Colane Rd. Although a club priding itself on its roots in Antrim, it does have links to Armagh and currently field some teams in the North Armagh leagues. Aghagallon compete in the Antrim Intermediate Championship, an honour they won in 2002. After a few stints in the SFC, the club will again compete in the IFC, against opposition such as Moneyglass, Rossa and St. Enda's.
There is also the Aghagallon Magners managed by Connor Mallon, currently holders of the winter league cup. The Senior Gaelic team is sponsored by Hannon Transport, with the Soccer team being sponsored by the Derryhirk Inn.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is about three miles northeast of Lurgan
Lurgan
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...
. It is part of the Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council is a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the council is in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area includes the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as...
area and had a population of 824 in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
Aghagallon has mainly developed along Aghalee
Aghalee
Aghalee is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is three miles from the southeast corner of Lough Neagh on the main road between Lurgan and Antrim and about 13 kilometres west of Lisburn. The village lies on the steep wooded slopes of Friary Glen and is beside the now disused Lagan...
Road in a linear fashion with development to the southeast along Colane Road. St Patrick’s Church and adjacent primary school provide a central focus for the village. Although the village is named after the townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
of Aghagallon, it lies almost wholly within neighboring Derrynaseer townland.
The Three Pronged Revolver
A famous incident that took place in Aghagallon in 1790. "The Battle of Annaghdroghal Bridge" .In 1790 men from the nearby villiage of Waringstown accompanied by flute and drum under the command of Col. Sharp marched from Waringstown at the request of Lord Waring to plough and prepare a field in Aghagallon County Antrim for a friend and fellow English landowner and Orangeman.
Their journey from Waringstown to Aghagallon was a controversial one, with several incidents occurring along the way in the town of Lurgan.
As Col. Sharp and his men reached the Annaghdroghal Bridge just east of Aghagallon they were met by local men who refused them passage. A fight incurred and the Battle of Annaghdroghal began.
Col.. Sharp led his men in the first attack and was fatally wounded by "The Darkie McStravick," receiving a chest wound from a three pronged muck fork.
McStravick fled the scene and dumped the fork (The Three Pronged Revolver) down a dry well at Derryclone.
The fork was retrieved around 1890 from the well and was presented to a local museum by Phelim McStravick in 2008.
Education
The village has one primary school, St. Patrick's. Much of the population of the village attend schools in nearby Lurgan.2001 Census
Aghagallon is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 824 people living in Aghagallon. Of these:- 32.3% were aged under 16 and 11.7% were aged 60 and over
- 50.2% of the population were male and 49.8% were female
- 96.6% were from a CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
background and 3.0% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
background; - 3.2% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.
For fuller details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
Sport
Aghagallon has one GAA club, Naomh Mhuire, which serves the areas of Aghagallon village, Gawley's GateGawley's Gate
Gawley's Gate is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the south-eastern shore of Lough Neagh, seven miles to the north of Lurgan and ten miles west of Lisburn. It is notable mainly for Gawley's Gate Inn which attracts patrons from the outlying townlands. It also...
and Ballinderry after clubs in these areas folded over the years. They currently play in Division II of the Antrim ACL and have a recently constructed playing field located on the Colane Rd. Although a club priding itself on its roots in Antrim, it does have links to Armagh and currently field some teams in the North Armagh leagues. Aghagallon compete in the Antrim Intermediate Championship, an honour they won in 2002. After a few stints in the SFC, the club will again compete in the IFC, against opposition such as Moneyglass, Rossa and St. Enda's.
There is also the Aghagallon Magners managed by Connor Mallon, currently holders of the winter league cup. The Senior Gaelic team is sponsored by Hannon Transport, with the Soccer team being sponsored by the Derryhirk Inn.