Loughgall
| Loughgall | |
| Irish: Loch gCál | |
 St Luke's Church |
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| Population | 282 (2011 Census) |
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| Irish grid reference | H908522 |
| District | Armagh |
| County | County Armagh |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ARMAGH |
| Postcode district | BT61 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | Newry and Armagh |
| NI Assembly | Newry and Armagh |
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Coordinates: 54°25′00″N 6°36′00″W / 54.416667°N 6.6°W
Loughgall (/lɒxˈɡɔːl/ lokh-GAWL; from Irish: Loch gCál, meaning "cabbage lake")[1][2] is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Census.[3] (2001 Census: 285 people)
Loughgall was named after a small nearby loch. The village is at the heart of the apple-growing industry and is surrounded by orchards. Along the village's main street is large set of gates leading to Loughgall Manor. An imposing building, the Manor was once the home of the Cope family who arrived as part of the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.
History
In 1795, rival sectarian gangs, the Catholic Defenders and Protestant Peep-o'-Day Boys fought a bloody skirmish called the Battle of the Diamond, that left around 80 people dead. The Orange Order was founded in Dan Winter's House, Loughgall following these events.
The Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in Loughgall, which includes a list of incidents in Loughgall during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
On 8 May 1987, eight members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) launched an attack on the village's Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, but were intercepted by a Special Air Service (SAS) unit of twenty-five. The SAS shot dead all eight IRA men and a passing civilian. This is known as the Loughgall Ambush.
Places of interest
Loughgall Country Park is set in a 188 hectare estate of open farmland & orchards and includes an 18 hole golf course and 37-acre (150,000 m2) coarse fishery.
The NI Horticulture and Plant Breeding Station is set in the Loughgall Manor Estate, surrounded by mature woodlands and overlooking the Lough Gall. The estate was established in the late 17th century by Sir Anthony Cope of Hanwell, Oxfordshire and became the Cope family home for 350 years. In 1947 the estate was purchased from Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer, a descendant of the original owner, by the (then) Ministry of Agriculture.
Sport
It is home to Loughgall Football Club, which plays in the IFA Championship.
Education
- The Cope Primary School
- There was also a Roman Catholic primary school located on the Eagralougher Road, just outside Loughgall, but due to lack of funding and low enrolment figures the school closed in June 1996.
People
- W. R. Rodgers (1909 – 1969), probably best known as a poet, was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1935 and was first appointed to Loughgall Presbyterian Church, Loughgall, where he was minister for 12 years. (Loughgall Presbyterian Church is in the townland of Cloveneden) He later gave up the ministry and became a BBC radio producer and scriptwriter. He died in California in 1969 and was buried in Loughgall.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Placenames NI
- ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ "Loughgall". Census 2011 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ↑ "Introduction - WR Rodgers Papers" (PDF). Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- Discover Northern Ireland
- NI Horticulture & Plant Breeding Station
- NI Conflict Archive on the Internet
- Culture Northern Ireland
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Loughgall. |
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