Ballymaguigan
Encyclopedia
Ballymaguigan is a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 and 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...

 in County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, 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 near the northwest shore of Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...

 and close to Magherafelt
Magherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...

. The hamlet forms one part of a parish named Ardtrea North
Ardtrea North
Ardtrea North is the name of the first parish in the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland dioceses of Armagh. The parish is made up of two communities named Ballymaguigan and Newbridge.-Education and Worship:...

. Ballymaguigan is part of the local Magherafelt District Council
Magherafelt District Council
Magherafelt District Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Council headquarters are in Magherafelt. The Council area stretches from Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the east and into the Sperrin Mountains in the west and is divided by the Moyola River. It covers...

.

Lough Neagh

Lough Neagh is situated in lower end of Ballymaguiagn. It is regarded by fishermen
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...

 of Ballymaguigan and surrounding areas as one of the best places to obtain eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...

s in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

, and is also good for obtaining salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

. Due to its location on the shores of Lough Neagh, was once the primary source of income for many families in Ballymaguigan.

University of Ulster campus

The University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...

 used to have a base in Ballymaguigan, located on the Point Road. The university campus tested and treated the waters of Lough Neagh, to treat and look after the wildlife in the lough. The laboratory is now closed and was formerly the largest marine biology center in the UK.

Sport

Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

 are the most popular sports in the area, with St.Trea's G.F.C
Ballymaguigan GAC
St. Trea's Ballymaguigan GFC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballymaguigan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They play in the Derry league and championships. They currently cater for both Gaelic football and Ladies' Gaelic football....

 being the local club. Ballymaguiagn fields Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 teams at U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve, Thirds and Senior levels. There are also Minor and Senior ladies Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 teams.

Prior to 1944 one team catered for the combined interests of Ballymaguigan and Newbridge. The war came, Toome Airfield was built, practically dividing the parish in two, thus making it very difficult for the Ballymaguigan players to travel to the pitch in the creagh for training. Paddy Batson suggested that a ball be purchased so that the local players could practise in Ballymaguigan. From this initial step the beginnings of an independent club became apparent.

Education

Most children in Ballymaguiagn attend Saint Trea's Primary School. Students from Ballymaguigan then attend secondary schools in the neighbouring town of Magherafelt
Magherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...

.

Schools

  • Saint Trea's is a Catholic
    Catholic
    The 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"...

     co-educational school within the North Eastern Education and Library Board
    North Eastern Education and Library Board
    The North Eastern Education and Library Board is an organisation providing education and library services for the north-eastern Local Government Districts, Northern Ireland, in County Antrim and eastern County Londonderry...

     area. The school opened approximately 108 years ago and educates children aged 4 to 11.
  • Saint Pius X College
    Saint Pius X College
    Saint Pius X College is a secondary school located in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic co-educational secondary school within the North Eastern Education and Library Board area. The school opened in 1964 and was named Saint Pius X High School.- History :St...

     formally Saint Pius X High School, Magerafelt.
  • Saint Mary's Grammar School.
  • Rainey Endowed Grammar School.
  • Sperrin Intergraded College.

The Troubles

On the 18 December 1971 - James Sheridan (20), John Bateson (19) and Martin Lee (18), all from Ballymaguigan died in a premature bomb explosion while traveling in a car at King Street, Magherafelt. The three men all were Catholics and members of the South Derry Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). The men all came from Ballymaguigan and played for St. Trea's GFC Ballymaguigan
Ballymaguigan GAC
St. Trea's Ballymaguigan GFC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballymaguigan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They play in the Derry league and championships. They currently cater for both Gaelic football and Ladies' Gaelic football....

. In 1971 the trophy for the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
Derry Intermediate Football Championship
The Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...

 was named after them.

Roads

Shore Road is the main road within Ballymaguigan and is named the Shore Road because it runs along the shore of the lough. The road is about 12 miles (19.3 km) long and partially runs through the villages of Newbridge, Ballymaguigan, Ballyronan
Ballyronan
Ballyronan is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the shores of Lough Neagh. The village is from Magherafelt and from Cookstown, and is within the Cookstown District close to its border with Magherafelt District.-History:...

, Ballinderry
Ballinderry
Ballinderry is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh....

 and Coagh
Coagh
Coagh is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, situated five miles east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 Census...

, before it becomes the Ballinderry Bridge Road.

A number of other roads run off the right of the Shore Road and eventually these roads end at the lough. These roads are named the (Lower) Waterfoot Road, Moss Road, Lough Road and Point Road.

Barrack Road (Section One) runs from O'Neill's Park to the Gracefield Road

Barrack Road (Section Two) runs from the middle of the Barrack Road to the beginning of the Ballymaguiagn Road. This road was formerly known as "Charley's Hill".

Ballymaguigan Road almost runs parallel of the Barrack road. It begins just off the left hand side of the Shore Road and forms a cross-roads with the Lough road. The Ballymaguigan road finishes at the Gracefield road.

The Waterfoot Road is actually two roads. It begins just off the left hand side of the Shore Road and forms a cross-roads with the (Lower) Waterfoot Road. The Waterfoot road finishes at the Gracefield road.

O'Neill's Park is named for the housing development of the same name and is located on what is known locally as "The Island Hill". The entrance of this development is just off the Barrack road. The development consists of twenty six houses.

Gracefield Road runs almost parallel to the Shore Road, and is known as "the Morvorians" after the local church and graveyard on the Ballymaguigan Road. In 2004 there were 4 new houses built on the Gracefield Road which have their own name; Riverside.

Notable people

  • Eamonn Coleman
    Eamonn Coleman
    Eamonn Coleman was an Irish Gaelic footballer and later manager.He had two separate stints as manager the Derry senior football team, and his chief success was guiding the county to the victory in the 1993 All-Ireland Championship - Derry's first ever All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title...

     - former Derry
    Derry GAA
    The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...

     manager
    Manager (Gaelic games)
    In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...

     and footballer.
  • Gary Coleman
    Gary Coleman (Gaelic footballer)
    Gary Coleman is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played with Derry in the 1990s and early 2000s. He still plays club football with St. Trea's GFC Ballymaguigan....

     - All Star
    GAA All Stars Awards
    The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...

     winning Derry footballer. Son of Eamonn Coleman.
  • Jim McKeever
    Jim McKeever
    James "Jim" McKeever is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. He played for Derry in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s and played club football for St. Trea's GFC Ballymaguigan and Seán O'Leary's GAC Newbridge...

     - 1958 Footballer of the Year
    Texaco Footballer of the Year
    The Texaco Footballer of the Year is a Gaelic football award, created in 1958, that honours the achievements of a footballer of outstanding excellence...

    .
  • Paddy Crozier
    Paddy Crozier
    Paddy Crozier is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player who managed Derry between 2006 and 2008, guiding the county to a National League title. He has also managed a number of club teams and Derry underage teams. Crozier currently manages Omagh St. Enda's...

     - Former Derry manager.
  • Peter Bateson - Sinn Féin
    Sinn Féin
    Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

     councilor for South Derry area and Ballymaguigan.
  • Seán Young - Ballymaguigan native who managed Roscommon
    Roscommon GAA
    For more details of Roscommon GAA see Roscommon Senior Club Football Championship or Roscommon Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Roscommon County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Roscommon GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games...

    for a few years.

External links

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