Magherafelt has been documented as a town since 1425. An earlier name for the area was Teach Fíolta - ‘Fíolta’s house’. This would suggest that there was a monastic settlement here under the leadership of Fíolta. 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. The Salters Company of London 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. During The Troubles in the late 20th century, 11 people were killed in or near Magherafelt in connection with the conflict.
At the foot of Broad Street is located The Bridewell. This building previously housed the town's court-house and gaol. The name Bridewell is a common name in Britain and Ireland for a prison. It has since been refurbished and now houses the town's library and tourist centre.
Transport
Road
Magherafelt lies on the A31 route which connects the south west of the province to the north east. Traffic from north and south passes 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. The roads surrounding Magherafelt are currently under-going a major overhaul e.g. being transformed to dual carriage ways and being refurbished.
Rail
opened on 10 November 1856, shut for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and shut altogether on 1 October 1959.
Magherafelt has several sporting teams, including Magherafelt Reds, O'Donovan Rossa Magherafelt GAC, the Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club and Magherafelt Sky Blues F.C.. There is also the Mid Ulster Athletic Club,Spires CC Cycling Club. the Mid Ulster Swimming Club and the Magherafelt District Motorclub.
Demography
At the 2011 census, there were 8,805 people living in Magherafelt. This represented an increase of 5.2% on the Census 2001 population of 8,372. 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
