Ballymaguigan () is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

in County Londonderry,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is near the northwest shore of Lough Neagh and close to

Magherafelt Magherafelt (, �mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...

. The hamlet forms one part of a parish named Ardtrea North. Ballymaguigan is part of the

Mid-Ulster District , settlement_type = District , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_type1 = Constituent country , subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_type3 = , subdivisi ...

Lough Neagh

Lough Neagh is situated in lower end of Ballymaguiagn. It is regarded by

fishermen A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...

of Ballymaguigan and surrounding areas as one of the best places to obtain

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

s in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, and is also good for obtaining

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

. 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 sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

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 are the most popular sports in the area, with St. Trea's G.F.C being the local club. Ballymaguiagn fields Gaelic football teams at U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve, Thirds and Senior levels. There are also Minor and Senior ladies Gaelic football 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

Schools

* Saint Trea's is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

school within the

North Eastern Education and Library Board Education in Northern Ireland differs from education systems elsewhere in the United Kingdom (although it is relatively similar to Wales), but is similar to the Republic of Ireland in sharing in the development of the ''national school'' syste ...

area. The school opened approximately 108 years ago and educates children aged 4 to 11. * Saint Pius X College formally Saint Pius X High School, Magerafelt. * Saint Mary's Grammar School. * Rainey Endowed Grammar School. * Sperrin Intergraded College.

The Troubles

On 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 The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

. The men all came from Ballymaguigan and played for St. Trea's GFC Ballymaguigan. In 1971 the trophy for the

Derry Intermediate Football Championship The Derry Intermediate Football Championship (currently also known for sponsorship reasons as the ''M&L Contracts Derry Intermediate Football Championship'') is an annual competition between the mid-tier Gaelic football clubs affiliated to Der ...

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 long and partially runs through the villages of Newbridge, Ballymaguigan,

Ballyronan Ballyronan () is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the north western shore of Lough Neagh. The village is from Magherafelt and from Cookstown. It is situated within Mid-Ulster District. History The village ...

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. The parish c ...

and Coagh, 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 (1947 or 1948 – 11 June 2007) was a Gaelic football manager who had previously played for the Ballymaguigan club and the Derry county team. He had two separate stints as manager of the senior Derry county team, and his chief ...

– former Derry

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and footballer. *

Gary Coleman Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid ...

– All Star winning Derry footballer. Son of Eamonn Coleman. * Jim McKeever – 1958 Footballer of the Year. *

Paddy Crozier Paddy Crozier ( ga, Pádraig Crúiseír) is an Irish people, Irish Gaelic football Manager (Gaelic games), manager and former player who managed the Derry county football team, Derry county team between 2006 and 2008, guiding the county to a Nat ...

– Former Derry manager.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in County Londonderry Mid-Ulster District