Garvagh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Garvagh (Irish: Garbh Achadh; meaning Rough field) is a town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Coleraine on the A29 route, the main trunk road between Coleraine and Maghera. It is situated on the banks of the Agivey River. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288 people. It is within the Coleraine Borough Council area. Garvagh is a significant service centre for the surrounding countryside, providing a wide range of services and considerable employment.

1 History
- 1.1 The Troubles
2 Places of interest
3 2001 Census
4 People
5 Education
6 References
7 External links
8 See also

[edit] History

Garvagh was important from very early times, but was destroyed by fire during the Battle of Garvagh, and rebuilt as a Plantation town as its broad main street and neatly planned buildings evidence. It was founded in the early 17th Century by George Canning from Warwickshire, agent for the Ironmonger’s Company of London, it was subsequently developed into a modest size market town by the Cannings. A striking feature of the town is the stone clock tower with an attractive clock and castellations which dominate the main route through the town and also which serves as the district cenotaph immortalising the dead of the 2 World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945)

The Garvagh and District Development Association- GADDA undertook a project to modernise the town in the late 1990s and early 2000s by installing new water mains, upgrading road surfaces, improving pedestrian surfaces, new street lighting, a new community building and a new toilet block which was all funded through various support channels- the Coleraine Borough Council, The Ireland Fund of America, the EU and the British Government.

The town has been immortalised in the famous Protestant folk-song "The Battle of Garvagh", which tells the heroic tale of the town's defence in 1813 from the marauding Ribbonmen who were intent on burning the town.

[edit] The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Garvagh, which includes a list of incidents in Garvagh during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

[edit] Places of interest

Garvagh Museum is a rural Folk Museum situated in the Bann Valley, in the walled garden of Garvagh House, the former seat of the Canning family. George Canning was elevated to the peerage in 1818 and took the title, Baron Garvagh. This walled garden has historic connections with Denis Hempson the great blind harper who lived in 3 centuries, being born in 1695 and dying in 1807. George Canning, Dr Bacon and Squire Gage purchased Hempson's first harp while he was resident in Garvagh. At the entrance to the museum there is a memorial to Hempson in the form of a granite pillar. This unique collection comprises almost two thousand artefacts which trace the history of the Bann Valley from 3000 BC through to the first half of the 20th century.
Garvagh Forest, the former estate of the Canning’s, covering over 2 square kilometres (0.7 sq mi), is situated on the western outskirts of Garvagh.

[edit] 2001 Census

Garvagh is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,288 people living in Garvagh. Of these:

22.3% were aged under 16 years and 25.1% were aged 60 and over
46.7% of the population were male and 53.3% were female
25.0% were from a Catholic background and 74.0% were from a Protestant background
3.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service