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Blackwatertown is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits on the River Blackwater, in the townland of Lisbofin, at the border with County Tyrone. The village is around north of
/ref> The wider townland is also called Lisbofin, from ''Lios Bó Finne'' meaning "fort of the white cow", which may refer to one of the
The local GAA club, Port Mór, plays at Junior level in county competitions.
The local Boxing Club is St Jarlaths ABC.
The ancient sport of Road Bowling, known as Bullets, is still played along country roads. Two players throw a small metal ball (bullet) a set distance on a road; the winner is the player who finishes in the fewest throws. This sport is very popular in most parts of County Armagh and parts of Cork.
Armagh
Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
city, and the villages of Benburb and Moy
Moy may refer to:
Places
* Loch Moy, a loch south of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland
** Moy, Highland, a village beside Loch Moy
** Moy Hall
Moy Hall near the village of Moy, south of Inverness, is the home of the chiefs of the Clan M ...
are nearby. Blackwatertown had a population of 376 in the 2011 Census. The River Blackwater enters Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It has a surface area of and supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows come ...
west of Derrywarragh Island and is navigable from Maghery to Blackwatertown.
History
In 1575, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the English built a fort at what is now Blackwatertown, to control this important river crossing in the heart of Gaelic Ulster. Most of the fort was on the eastern bank of the river, and there was a stone tower on the western bank. In February 1595, at the outset of theNine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
, a Gaelic force led by Art MacBaron O'Neill assaulted and captured the fort from the English.
This fort is referenced in the village's Irish name, ''An Port Mór'' ("the great fort").Place Names NI/ref> The wider townland is also called Lisbofin, from ''Lios Bó Finne'' meaning "fort of the white cow", which may refer to one of the
ringfort
Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...
s in the area.
Blackwatertown was one of the first places in Northern Ireland to erect street signs in the Irish language in 1980. The village recently had signs erected at the entrances indicating its name; previously signs were erected by local individuals indicating its name in the Irish
Education
Blackwatertown had three schools: Blackwatertown Boys' Primary School and Blackwatertown Girls' Primary School, both of which were managed by the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools; and Blackwatertown Primary School, managed by Blackwatertown Methodist Church and attended by pupils of several denominations. As the non-Roman Catholic population dwindled Blackwatertown Primary School ceased to be viable and closed. The other two schools amalgamated and formed a new school known as St Jarlath's Primary School.Sport
The local GAA club, Port Mór, plays at Junior level in county competitions.
The local Boxing Club is St Jarlaths ABC.
The ancient sport of Road Bowling, known as Bullets, is still played along country roads. Two players throw a small metal ball (bullet) a set distance on a road; the winner is the player who finishes in the fewest throws. This sport is very popular in most parts of County Armagh and parts of Cork.
In popular culture
A fictional 1950s version of Blackwatertown is the setting for the crime thriller ''Blackwatertown'' by Paul Waters, published in 2020 byUnbound
Unbound may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Unbound, formerly the name of Deathbound, a four-piece death metal band from Vaasa, Finland
*''Unbound'', an album by Merciless, 1994
*"Unbound", a song by Ásgeir Trausti, 2017
*"Unboun ...
in paperback and ebook and by W.F. Howes
RBMedia is an audiobook publishing company with sales globally. It claims to be the largest audiobook publisher in the world. It was founded in 2017 through the acquisitions of independent audiobook companies. The companies, which now operate as ...
now RBMedia
RBMedia is an audiobook publishing company with sales globally. It claims to be the largest audiobook publisher in the world. It was founded in 2017 through the acquisitions of independent audiobook companies. The companies, which now operate as ...
in audiobook.
See also
* List of towns and villages in Northern IrelandReferences
Villages in County Armagh Villages in County Tyrone {{Tyrone-geo-stub