Bellaghy is home to various historical landmarks, including a well-preserved 17th century fortified house, Bellaghy Bawn, which is now a museum. A Grade B+ thatched cottage is present in the Bellaghy outskirts. The village is also known as the birthplace, childhood home and resting place of poet Seamus Heaney (1939–2013), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. There is an arts centre in the village dedicated to Heaney.[3]
History
There had long been Gaelic settlements in this area. Archaeological evidence has been found in the village of a Gaelic ringfort.[4][5]
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.[6]
During the Plantation, English colonials built a fortified house in the village. It had surrounding walls and two circular towers at opposite corners. Recent excavations have revealed that the fortified house was built on the site of a former Gaelic ringfort. During the 1641 rebellion the house was attacked by Irish rebels, but it remained intact.[6][5] Many other houses in the village were burnt to the ground.[5] Locally it was called "The Castle" and is located on Castle Street. The refurbished house was opened to the public in 1996 as Bellaghy Bawn. It is a museum featuring exhibitions on local history.[7]
On 2 May 1922, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army launched an attack on Bellaghy Royal Irish Constabulary barracks - the IRA men gained access after the outer gate was mistakenly left unlocked while a 'farewell party' was being held inside for a retiring police officer.[8] One RIC officer was killed and at least two others wounded.[8] An IRA volunteer was also killed when he went to inspect a room and was shot 'through the woodwork' by a B-Special who had concealed himself behind a half-open door.[8] The three other IRA volunteers subsequently withdrew, but were captured shortly afterwards.[8][9]
Seamus Heaney, who became a Nobel Prize-winning poet, was born as the eldest of nine children at Mossbawn, his family's farm in Bellaghy. He later lived in Dublin but is buried in the graveyard of St Mary's Catholic Church, Bellaghy. The village has an arts centre dedicated to him, known as the Seamus Heaney HomePlace. The centre features talks, poetry readings, and performances. It has exhibits of photographs, texts, and poems to show the influence of place on his language.[3]
On Census day (22 April 1991), there were 1,041 people living in Bellaghy. Of these:
501 (48.1%) were male and 540 (51.9%) were female.[18]
2001 Census
Bellaghy is classified as a Village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people. On Census day (29 April 2001), there were 1,063 people living in Bellaghy. Of these:
31.4% were aged under 16 years and 12.7% were aged 60 and over[19]
49.9% of the population were male and 50.1% were female[20]
NISRA classified Bellaghy as village (Band G) with 1,155 people living there.[24]
2021 Census
On Census day (21 March 2021), there were 1,251 people living in Bellaghy.[25] Of these:
310 (24.78%) were aged under 16, 157 (12.55%) were aged 16-24, 236 (18.86%) were aged 17-34, 159 (12.71%) were aged 35-44, 153 (12.23%) were aged 45-54, 103 (8.23%) were aged 55-64, 133 (10.63%) were aged 65+.[26]
654 were female (52.28%), while 597 (47.72%) were male.[27]
808 (64.69%) indicated an Irish identity, 312 (24.98%) indicated a Northern Irish, 152 (12.17%) indicated a British identity and 32 (2.56%) indicated an 'other' identity.[28] Respondants could select multiple identities.
1,115 (89.2%) were from a Catholic background, 104 (8.32%) were from a Protestant background, 5 (0.4%) were from another religious background, and 26 (2.08%) had an irreligious background.[29]
1,080 (86.33%) were Catholic, 42 (3.36%) were Church of Ireland, 37 (2.96%) were Presbyterian, 11 (0.88%) were of an other christian denomination, 4 (0.32%) were of an other religion, 62 (4.96%) were irreligious and 15 (1.2%) did not state their religion.[30]
↑Lawlor, Pearse (2011). The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign. Mercier Press. pp.268–269. ISBN9781856358064.
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