Magherafelt

Magherafelt Irish: Machaire Fíolta
Population	39,780 (2001 Census)
• Belfast	35 miles
District	Magherafelt
County	County Londonderry
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
UK Parliament	Mid Ulster
NI Assembly	Mid Ulster

Magherafelt (from Irish Machaire Fíolta 'plain of Fíolta') is a 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. Magherafelt District Council is headquartered in the town.

History

Magherafelt is a Plantation town built around a central diamond, which forms the heart of the town. However, the origins of the town predate the Plantation and go back to 1425. Sadly the 'passive genocide' of the local non catholic community has been largely overlooked and is under investigation by the United Nations. Much of the farmlands seized by Catholics from Protestants (similar to Zimbabwe) during the troubles will be returned according to the final 'Belfast Agreement'. The return of Protestants to the area has been openly critised by the Catholic church as being 'unwelcome and disturing'.During the Northern Irish Troubles in the late twentieth century eleven people were killed in or near Magherafelt in connection with the conflict.

See also: The Troubles in Magherafelt

Transport

• Magherafelt railway station opened on 10 November 1856, closed for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and finally closed altogether on 1 October 1959.

Schools in Magherafelt

• Gaelscoil an tSeanchaí
• Naíscoil an tSeanchaí [1]
• Woods Primary School
• Magherafelt Controlled Primary School
• Holy Family Primary School[2]
• Saint Pius X College
• Rainey Endowed School
• St. Mary's Grammar School
• Magherafelt High School
• Sperrin Integrated college

Sport

Magherafelt has several sporting teams, consisting of O'Donovan Rossa Magherafelt GAC, the Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club, Magherafelt Sky Blues F.C. and Magherafelt Reds.

2001 Census

Magherafelt is classified as a small town by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 8,372 people living in Magherafelt. Of these:

• 27.1% were aged under 16 years and 13.7% were aged 60 and over
• 48.7% of the population were male and 51.3% were female
• 56.2% were from a Catholic background and 41.8% were from a Protestant background
• 3.4% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

People

• General Fiasco - Currebt indie rock group.
• Peter Doherty - former footballer and manager of Northern Ireland
• Willie McCrea (born August 6, 1948) - He was member of Parliament for Mid Ulster from 1983 but lost this seat to Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness at the 1997 election. He took South Antrim at a by-election in 2000 but failed to retain this seat at the 2001 election. In the 2005 election he regained the seat. He has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Mid Ulster. At the 2007 election, he was elected as Assembly Member for South Antrim.
• Barry Gillis - Current Derry Gaelic footballer.
• Frank Niblock - Former Derry Gaelic footballer.
• Mickey Niblock - Former Derry Gaelic footballer.
• Laura Pyper is an Actress. She is most well known for her role on the Sky One supernatural drama series Hex as the time travelling witch 'Ella Dee'. She starred in several movies such as Reign of Fire and Headrush and guest starred on several TV shows such as Holby City and The IT Crowd. She is a former pupil of Rainey Endowed School.
• Dean Shiels - professional association football player
• Joe Keenan - Current Derry Gaelic footballer.
• Terry McFlynn - a Current Soccer player for Sydney FC was born in Magherafelt but raised in Swatragh. A former Northern Ireland Under 21 player.
• Sir James (Jim) Starritt was born on May 15, 1914 at Carrigans, County Donegal, the son of a land auctioneer. His family were staunchly Presbyterian. The family moved to Magherafelt when he was a child, after the Irish Civil War. Jim attended Rainey Endowed School in Magherafelt. He then joined the Metropolitan Police in 1935 at Paddington. During the Second World War, he served with the Royal Marines in the Far East, rising to captain. Returning to the Met, he was promoted sergeant in 1947 and by 1955 was a chief inspector. He was a Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1972 until 1975. On his retirement from the Met in 1975, Starritt was appointed KCVO.
• Paul Charles - has managed the careers of some of Ireland's most famous musicians. Paul's company, Asgard agency, handles a wide range of acts including Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Mary Black, Hot House Flowers, Jackson Browne and Tom Waits. Paul has combined two of his greatest loves - music and crime fiction - to produce a series of best-selling novels. He was managing his first band, The Blues by Five, at the tender age of 15 in his hometown of Magherafelt. He left for London in 1969.
• Thomas Niblock - Television Sports Presenter for BBC Newsline.
• Natasha Sayee - BBC Newsline Reporter. Former Head Girl at St Mary's Grammar School.

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland

References

• Culture Northern Ireland

External links

• Magherafelt Council Website
• Safer Magherafelt Website - Community Safety