Dungiven () is a small town,

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 ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in County Londonderry,

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

. It is near the main A6

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the Benbradagh. Nearby is the

Glenshane Pass The Glenshane Pass () is a major mountain pass cutting through the Sperrin Mountains in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is in the townland of Glenshane Pass on the main Derry to Belfast route, the A6. A large wildfire broke out in Glen ...

, where the road rises to over . It had a population of 3,288 people in the 2011 Census, an increase of 10% over the 2001 population of 2,993. It is within Causeway Coast and Glens district council area.

History

There is evidence of settlement in the area for at least 1000 years. There may have been an abbey in the area around 700AD. The Augustinian abbey of St Mary's was built in the 11th century. Its ruins contain the tomb of O'Cahan (Cooey na Gall O' Cahan), laid to rest in 1385. A thicket of thorn bushes hung with rags conceals a

bullaun A bullaun ( ga, bullán; from a word cognate with "bowl" and French ''bol'') is the term used for the depression in a stone which is often water filled. Natural rounded boulders or pebbles may sit in the bullaun. The size of the bullaun is high ...

stone, visited for wart cures. Between the 12th and 17th centuries the area was ruled by the Ó Catháin clan, one of the most influential clans in Ulster The town sprang up around Dungiven Castle and the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...

(Anglican church), later spreading westwards along Chapel Road and Main Street towards the bridging point on the River Roe.

Politics

The village is part of the

East Londonderry East Londonderry or East Derry can refer to: * The eastern part of County Londonderry * The eastern part of the city of Derry * East Londonderry (Assembly constituency) * East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency) East Londonderry is a par ...

UK Parliamentary constituency. The MP for the constituency since 2001 has been Gregory Campbell of the DUP. The UK constituency is coterminous with the Northern Ireland Assembly constituency of the same name. The five MLAs elected in 2017 were 2 DUP, 1 independent unionist, 1

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gr ...

and 1 SDLP. It forms part of the Benbradagh district electoral area of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. In 2019 this area elected 3

, 1 SDLP and 1 DUP councillors.

The Troubles

During

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

in Northern Ireland, seven people were killed in or near Dungiven in connection with the conflict, six of whom were members of the security forces. The one civilian, Francis McCloskey, was found beaten to death in disputed circumstances during street riots, in which the police were called to respond. He has sometimes been deemed as the first person killed in the last installment of the Troubles (1969-1997).

Education

St. Patrick's College is the secondary school in the town. It is located on Curragh Road. St. Canice's is the primary school. Gaelscoil Neachtain is a co-educational, interdenominational Irish-medium primary school. In 2015, Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, an Irish-medium post-primary school, opened in Dungiven Castle.

Sport

Gaelic games are the most popular sports in the area. St Canice's Dungiven is the local Gaelic football club; the team plays at O'Cahan Park and have won the

Derry Senior Football Championship The Derry Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top sixteen Derry GAA clubs. The winners receive the John McLaughlin Cup and qualify to represent Derry in the Ulster Senior Club Football Champio ...

7 times, and won the Ulster Senior Football Championship once, in 1997. Kevin Lynch's is the local hurling club; they have won the

Derry Senior Hurling Championship The Derry Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Derry GAA clubs. The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1887. Slaughtneil are the title holders (2022) def ...

a record 22 times. The team plays at Kevin Lynch Park.

Dungiven Celtic F.C. Dungiven Celtic Football Club is an intermediate-level football club playing in the Northern Ireland Intermediate League in Northern Ireland. The club is based in Dungiven, County Londonderry. History Dungiven Celtic were founded following ...

is an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club playing in the Northern Ireland Intermediate League.

Demography

According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), on Census day (27 March 2011) there were 3,288 people living in Dungiven. Of these: *24.57% were aged under 16 and 10.55% were aged 65 and over *48.87% of the population were male and 51.13% were female *95.41% were from 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 ...

background and 3.65% were from a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

or other Christian background *8.63% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

Transport

*Dungiven sits beside the main A6 road and has good road links to Derry (29 km to the west) and Limavady (13 km to the north). A proposed by-pass for Dungiven, following a route to the south west of the town, has been marked-out since the 1973 Limavady Area Plan, and opened to traffic in 2022. *Dungiven was the terminus of the Limavady railway, which closed in 1950. Dungiven railway station opened on 4 July 1883, closed for passenger traffic on 1 January 1933 and closed altogether on 3 July 1950.

Rivers

The River Roe is a major river in Northern Ireland and the largest river in the town. The river can be seen at the western end of Dungiven at Dungiven Bridge. It starts up the Glenshane Pass and flows in a northwestern way towards the town and then north through Burnfoot and then Limavady. The Owenbeg River is a large tributary to the Roe it starts near Feeny and flows into the river downstream from Buttermilk Bridge. The Owenreagh River is also a major tributary which starts up in Banagher Glen and flows into the river downstream from the new A6 Bridge. The Pellipar Burn is a small river or stream which flows through the heart of the town mainly a polluted urban stream and parts flowing underground in culverts. The burn can be seen below New Bridge beside the Church on New Street. it flows into the Roe a short distance downstream from Pellipar Bridge. The burn is named after Pellipar House. The Derryware Burn is another small stream that flows at the northern end of the town this burn is around the same size as the Pellipar and flows into the River Roe above Pellipar House Estate.

People

* Francis Brolly (1938-2020), Musician and

MLA for

* Joe Brolly (b. 1969), lawyer and member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won All Stars in 1996 and 1997 * Mary Dillon (b. 1964), folk singer * Cara Dillon (b. 1975), folk singer * Kevin Lynch (1956-1981), hunger striker who died in 1981; the Dungiven hurling team was renamed

Kevin Lynch's Hurling Club Kevin Lynch Hurling Club ( ga, Cumann lomanaíochta Chaoímhín Uí Loínsigh) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They currently cater for hurling. The Gaelic football and ladies' Ga ...

for him after his death *

Paul McCloskey Paul McCloskey (born 3 August 1979) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2005 to 2013. He held the British super-lightweight title from 2008 to 2009; the European super-lightweight title from 2009 to 2011; and ...

(b. 1979), professional boxer, former British and European light welterweight champion *

Brian McGilligan Brian McGilligan (born 19 December 1963) is an Irish former dual player of Gaelic games, who played Gaelic football at senior level for the Derry county team in the 1980s and 1990s, especially the 1993 team. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ir ...

(b. 1963), member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won All Stars in 1987 and 1993 * Geoffrey McGonagle (b. 1974), former Derry dual player * Jamie McGonigle (b.1996), professional footballer *

Kieran McKeever Kieran McKeever (born 12 March 1968) is a former dual player of Gaelic games who played Gaelic football and hurling for Derry during the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Irel ...

(b. 1968), member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won an All Star in 2000 *Sister

Aloysius McVeigh Sister Aloysius McVeigh, R.S.M., (April 10, 1923 – December 25, 2008) was an Irish artist, iconographer and teacher. She was from Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Bridie entered the Sisters of Mercy convent in Derry in 1940, taki ...

(1923-2008), Artist, iconographer and teacher * John Mitchel (1815-1875), a 19th-century Irish patriot who inspired the Young Ireland Movement, was born at Camnish, between Dungiven and Burnfoot; the ''Mitchel Park'' area is named for him * Frances Molloy (1947-1991), novelist *

John Eddie Mullan John Eddie Mullan (27 April 1923 – 14 December 2008) was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1940s and 1950s. He was part of the first Derry side to win the National Football League and also won two Dr McKenna ...

(1923-2008), former Derry player *

Eoghan Quigg Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg (; born 12 July 1992) is a footballer and pop singer from Dungiven, Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest ''The X Factor'' in 2008. As a result of ...

(b. 1992), musician, singer

Popular culture

Dungiven is mentioned in the

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...

play '' Making History'', as the place where Mabel Bagnel goes after the Siege of Kinsale.

References

{{authority control Villages in County Londonderry Civil parishes of County Londonderry Causeway Coast and Glens district