Magherafelt has been documented as a town since 1425. An earlier name for the area was Teach Fíolta - ‘Fíolta’s (monastic) house’. This would suggest that there was a monastic settlement here under the leadership of Fíolta.[4] The site of the medieval parish church may be marked by the ruins of a later church and graveyard at the bottom of Broad Street.[5]
The Salters Company of London[6] was granted the surrounding lands in South Londonderry in the seventeenth century as part of the Plantation of Ulster. Subsequently, the town began to take on its current shape with a central diamond forming the heart of the town.[7]
The Bridewell, Magherafelt - geograph.org.uk - 573457
At the foot of Broad Street is located The Bridewell. This building previously housed the town's court-house and gaol (jail). The name Bridewell is a common name in Britain and Ireland for a prison (see Bridewell Palace). It has since been refurbished and now houses the town's library and tourist centre.[8]
Magherafelt lies on the A31 route which connects the south west of the province (Tyrone, Fermanagh) to the north east (Coleraine, Ballymena etc.). Traffic from north and south used to pass through the town centre frequently leading to considerable congestion. In the 1970s a bypass was proposed route which was eventually funded in 2013 and completed in 2016. The road is a single-carriageway around the eastern edge of the town connecting Moneymore Road and Castledawson Road. The old road through the town became the B40 when the road opened.[14]
Rail
Magherafelt railway station opened on 10 November 1856, shut for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and shut altogether on 1 October 1959.[15]
The town of Magherafelt encompasses the Super Data Zones of Magherafelt_A, Magherafelt_B and Magherafelt_C according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.[17] At the time of the 2021 census, there were 9,071 people living in Magherafelt.[3] Of these:
59.9% were from a Catholic background and 31.5% were from a Protestant or other Christian background.[18]
30.9% indicated that they had a British national identity,[19] 36.4% had an Irish national identity,[20] and 30.4% had a Northern Irish national identity.[21]
2011 Census
At the time of the 2011 census, there were 8,805 people living in Magherafelt.[22] This represented an increase of 5.2% on the Census 2001 population of 8,372.[23] Of these:
21.75% were aged under 16 years and 12.44% were aged 65 and over.
48.65% of the population were male and 51.35% were female.
59.73% were from a Catholic background and 35.67% were from a Protestant or other Christian background.
5.65% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
36.98% indicated that they had a British national identity, 33.87% had an Irish national identity, and 30.45% had a Northern Irish national identity.
Notable people
Robert Hagan (born 1794) – naval officer and abolitionist
