Moneymore


Moneymore is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,369 in the 2001 Census. It is situated within Mid-Ulster District. It is an example of a plantation village in Mid-Ulster built by the Drapers' Company of London.

Geography

Moneymore lies in a glen. The Ballymully River flows through the southern part of the village. The river rises on a large hill, Slieve Gallion, which has a radio tower on top. The village is about 35 miles from the sea to the north.

History

There was an important battle fought near Moneymore called the battle of Móin Daire Lothair in the year 563 between the Northern Uí Néill and the Cruithin tribe which the Northern Uí Néill won. This battle is recorded in the Annals of Ulster and would have been a major event at the time. Much of Great Britain and Ireland would have descent from these two groups as there was notable mixing with Scotland over the years and the Uí Néill split to form the Southern Uí Néill in the Irish midlands around this time.
Originally built by the Worshipful Company of Drapers, the village was held in such esteem that they invested in a large scale reconstruction during 1817. During The Troubles, seven people were killed in or near Moneymore in violence related to the conflict, six of them by the Provisional IRA and one by the UDA.

People

The most notable building in the town is the 17th century Plantation house, Springhill, built and owned by the Conyngham, later Lenox-Conyngham family but since 1957 in the ownership of the National Trust.
Moneymore Model Village depicts life in rural Ulster at the time of the Plantation.

Transport

There are two primary schools in Moneymore: Moneymore Primary School and St. Patrick's Primary School. Most children of secondary school age attend one of the schools in nearby Cookstown or Magherafelt.

Churches

Moneymore is classified as a village by the . On Census day there were 1,369 people living in Moneymore. Of these:
For more details see: