Magilligan is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

at the mouth of

Lough Foyle Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle ( or "loch of the lip"), is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over t ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive coastal site, part military firing range and part nature reserve, and is home to

HM Prison Magilligan HM Prison Magilligan is a medium security prison run by the Northern Ireland Prison Service situated near Limavady, County Londonderry. It was first opened in January 1972 when 50 Irish Republican Army (1922–1969), Irish Republican internees ...

. The tip of the peninsula, which lies less than a mile from Greencastle in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, 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 Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Keenaght. 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 was measured from North Station to Ballykelly in 1828, from which all other references were measured. The survey finished in 1846 when

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

was mapped.

Landmarks

There is a well-preserved

Martello Tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

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.

is situated along the main road (Point Road) running out to Magilligan Point. It opened in 1972 and has a capacity of 568 prisoners.

Transport

It is close to

Bellarena railway station Bellarena railway station serves the village of Bellarena and the broader Limavady area in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The current two-platform station was opened in 2016, replacing the original single-platform 1853 station located on ...

and there is a ferry service which operates during the summer season, connecting Magilligan with Greencastle across the lough. During the 19th century the

Londonderry & Coleraine Railway The Londonderry and Coleraine Railway is a railway line between the city of Derry and the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry, built by the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR). The company operated the line independently for sev ...

operated a short-lived tramway between the village of

Magilligan Magilligan is a peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive coastal site, part military firing range and part nature reserve, and is home to HM Prison Magilligan. The tip of the peninsula, w ...

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. For decades, local spiritual leaders have declared travelling across the railway line as "ill-advised."

Notable people

* Donnchadh Ó hÁmsaigh (1695–1807) – Irish harpist * John Graham –

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

clergyman, a senior officer of the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

, and a prolific author of poetic and historical works *

Eddie Butcher Eddie Butcher (8 May 1900 – 8 September 1980) was an Irish traditional singer, folk-song collector and songwriter from Magilligan, County Londonderry. He had an extensive repertoire of songs that he performed in a sturdy, earthy style. I ...

(1900–1980) – singer, songwriter and song collector

References

External links

Magilligan Martello TowerHistory of Magilligan 1600–1800
{{County Londonderry Geography of County Londonderry Special Areas of Conservation in Northern Ireland Tourism in County Londonderry Tourist attractions in County Londonderry Civil parishes of County Londonderry Beaches of Northern Ireland Causeway Coast and Glens district