Kilrea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kilrea
Irish: Cill Ria
Kilrea (Northern Ireland)
Kilrea

Kilrea shown within Northern Ireland
Population 1,513
(2001 Census)
District Coleraine Borough
County County Londonderry
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town COLERAINE
Postcode district BT51 5SE
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
European Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament East Londonderry
NI Assembly East Londonderry
List of places: UKNorthern IrelandCounty Londonderry

Coordinates: 54°58′00″N 6°34′00″W / 54.966667, -6.583333

Kilrea (Irish: Cill Ria meaning church on the hill) is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, close to the boundary with County Antrim. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,513 people. It is situated high up the Bann Valley and enjoys a vantage point above the river.

There is a tradition that St Patrick visited the area during the fifth century, a story repeated recently in the book 'The Fairy Thorn' produced by Kilrea local historians. Following the Plantation of Ulster the village grew substantially, and today is a well-preserved example of a Plantation village, with long, straight roads from its centre-point, called 'The Diamond'. It was the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. It has a busy market and a modern range of shops built around the attractive flower-bedded Diamond. A feature of Kilrea is its 'Fairy Thorn' tree, on Church Street. The 'Fairy Thorn' is the focal point of the summer festival in the town. The River Bann is at its most pleasing here, with picturesque waterfalls at Portna and Movanagher. Sinn Féin and the SDLP both have advice centres in the town. Kilrea Pipe Band dates from 1921. Today it participates in competitions in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland, events including those organised by local charities and community groups, and the cross-community Fairy Thorn Festival in Kilrea.

Kitty, the Rose of Kilrea is the title of a song by The Irish Rovers.

Contents

[edit] People

[edit] Sport

  • Gaelic games are a popular sport in Kilrea. The local Gaelic football club is Kilrea Pádraig Pearses GAC. In 2007 Kilrea GAC Minors completed a historic double for club. They ended the year on a high, clinching the Minor League and Championship Finals.
  • The area is well known for its game and coarse fishing.
  • There are two golf courses in the town.

[edit] History

[edit] The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Kilrea, which includes a list of incidents in Kilrea during The Troubles resulting in one or more fatalities.

[edit] 2001 Census

Kilrea is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,513 people living in Kilrea. Of these:

  • 27.0% were aged under 16 years and 16.7% were aged 60 and over
  • 49.0% of the population were male and 51.0% were female
  • 69.3% were from a Catholic background and 29.8% were from a Protestant background
  • 5.2% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/pf_report.asp?settlementName=Kilrea&BandName=Village

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links