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.
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
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
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
- Donnchadh Ó hÁmsaigh (1695–1807) – Irish harpist[6]
- John Graham – Church of Ireland clergyman, a senior officer of the Orange Order, and a prolific author of poetic and historical works
- Eddie Butcher (1900–1980) – singer, songwriter and song collector[7]: 1
References
- ^ a b c "Magilligan Point". Eoceanic.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Magilligan Prison". Prisonphone.co.uk. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ Mary L. Mulvihill (2003). Ingenious Ireland: A County-by-County Exploration of the Mysteries. Simon & Schuster. pp. 190–2. ISBN 9780684020945.
- ^ "Magilligan Martello Tower". discovernorthernireland.com. Discover Northern Ireland. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Steven (15 June 2002). Lost Railways of Co. Derry. Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 1-84033-199-2.
- ^ "Denis O'Hampsey – his life". earlygaelicharp.info. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ 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.
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