Magilligan

Last updated

Magilligan
  • Irish: Ard Mhic Giollagáin
Magilligan Point from Gortmore - geograph.org.uk - 4585711.jpg
View of Magilligan Point and Inishowen beyond
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Magilligan
Location within Northern Ireland
Population578 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference H8396
Civil parish
  • Magilligan
District
County
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Postcode district BT49
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
County Londonderry
55°11′13″N6°57′29″W / 55.187°N 6.958°W / 55.187; -6.958

Magilligan is a peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive 79,000-acre (32,000-hectare) coastal site, part military firing range and part nature reserve, and is home to HM Prison Magilligan. [1] [2] The tip of the peninsula, which lies less than a mile from Greencastle in County Donegal, is known as Magilligan Point. The two are linked by a ferry service.

Contents

History

The peninsula historically belonged to a district known as "MacGilligan's Country", which formed a major part of the barony of Keenaght. [1]

Magilligan served as the base line for triangulation for the mapping of Ireland in the 19th century. Colonel Thomas Colby chose Magilligan due to the flatness of the strand and its proximity to Scotland which, along with the rest of Britain, had been accurately mapped in previous decades. A straight line precisely 30,533 feet (9,306 m) was measured from North Station to Ballykelly in 1828, from which all other references were measured. The survey finished in 1846 when County Kerry was mapped. [3]

Landmarks

Magilligan Martello Tower Magilligan Martello Tower.jpg
Magilligan Martello Tower

There is a well-preserved Martello Tower at Magilligan Point, built between 1815 and 1817. It is one of the northernmost of the 74 towers built along the coasts of Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. [4]

HM Prison Magilligan is situated along the main road (Point Road) running out to Magilligan Point. It opened in 1972 and has a capacity of 568 prisoners. [2]

Transport

Ferry slip, Magilligan Point Ferry slip, Magilligan Point (geograph 4026589).jpg
Ferry slip, Magilligan Point
The ferry to Greencastle Magilligan ferry - geograph.org.uk - 895050.jpg
The ferry to Greencastle

It is close to Bellarena railway station and there is a ferry service which operates during the summer season, connecting Magilligan with Greencastle across the lough. [1]

During the 19th century the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway operated a short-lived tramway between the village of Magilligan and the settlement of Magilligan Point. Opening in July 1885 and closing in October 1885, it is the shortest-lived passenger railway line in Ireland. [5]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Magilligan Point". Eoceanic.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Magilligan Prison". Prisonphone.co.uk. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Mary L. Mulvihill (2003). Ingenious Ireland: A County-by-County Exploration of the Mysteries. Simon & Schuster. pp. 190–2. ISBN   9780684020945.
  4. ↑ "Magilligan Martello Tower". discovernorthernireland.com. Discover Northern Ireland. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Steven (15 June 2002). Lost Railways of Co. Derry. Stenlake Publishing. ISBN   1-84033-199-2.
  6. ↑ "Denis O'Hampsey – his life". earlygaelicharp.info. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Shields, Hugh; Shields, Lisa; Carolan, Nicholas, eds. (2011). All the Days of His Life. Dublin, Ireland: Irish Traditional Music Archive. ISBN   978-0-9532704-4-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.