Moneymore


Moneymore is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,897 in the 2011 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.
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 Ulster Defence Association.

People

The most notable building in the town is the 17th century Plantation house, Springhill House, built and owned by the Conyngham family until 1957 when it came under the ownership of the National Trust.
Moneymore Model Village depicts life in rural Ulster at the time of the Plantation in the 17th century.

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

2001 census

Moneymore is classified as a village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . On census day there were 1,369 people living in Moneymore. Of these:
  • 25.0% were aged under 16 years and 16.1% were aged 60 and over
  • 45.29% of the population were male and 52.1% were female
  • 47.8% were from a Catholic background and 51.0% were from a Protestant background;
  • 3.1% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

    2011 census

On census day the usually resident population of Moneymore Settlement was 1,897 accounting for 0.10% of the NI total. In Moneymore Settlement, considering the resident population:
  • 98.52% were from the white ethnic group
  • 45.65% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 50.34% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian ' religion
  • 50.03% indicated that they had a British national identity, 23.35% had an Irish national identity and 29.78% had a Northern Irish national identity
  • 9.35% had some knowledge of Irish
  • 7.32% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots
  • 3.38% did not have English as their first language