Magheralin
Magheralin Parish Church
Magheralin is located in County Down
Magheralin
Magheralin
Location within County Down
Population1,337 
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCRAIGAVON
Postcode districtBT67
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
Magheralin at night. Photo: George Malcolm
Magheralin Parish Church, The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Photo: George Malcolm

Magheralin (from Irish Machaire Lainne, meaning 'plain of the church')[2] is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the main A3 road between Moira and Lurgan, beside the River Lagan. It had a population of 1,337 people in the 2011 Census. The civil parish of Magheralin covers areas of County Armagh and County Down.[3]

Its original name was Lann Rónáin Fhinn, "church of Ronan Finn", a saint from the famous tale Buile Shuibhne (The Madness of Sweeney).[2]

Culture

Religion

Magheralin is a generally mixed village, with many people from both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds. Protestantism, however, is the largest religion in the town with a total of 58.8% of villagers adhering to it.[4]

Magheralin contains two Churches: one Protestant Church and one Catholic Church. The Protestant Church is Magheralin Parish, which also has a church building in Dollingstown.[5] Magheralin Parish's sermons take place on a Sunday at 10am in Dollingstown, and 11:30am in Magheralin; Magheralin Parish holds its evening service in Magheralin at 6:30pm.[6] The Rector of Magheralin Parish is Simon Genoe; the Youth Outreach Coordinator is Richard Lyttle as of April 2023.[7]

Magheralin's Catholic Church, Parish of Magheralin, contains two church buildings; similar to Magheralin Parish. These buildings are St. Patrick's & St. Ronan's and St. Colman's Kilwarlin. Parish of Magheralin's priest is Father Feidhlimidh Magennis as of April 2023.[8]

The Ducks of Magheralin

There is an old song called "The Ducks of Magheralin". The Ducks of Magheralin is an Irish Polka, with its namesake representing the 'ducks of Magheralin', who were the weavers of the town because they used duck grease to lubricate their looms. In the preface to a well-known version by the Glenfolk Four, a singer insists that the intent of the song is to address the myth that the capital of Ireland is Dublin. The first verse is as follows:

It is just about a year ago that I went to see the King,
And on my voyage in Ulster my troubles they were twin;
He decorated me with medals, and they were made of tin,
"Go home," says he, "you skitter ye. You're the Mayor of Magheralin."[9]

The Troubles

1989

  • 18 October 1989 - Robert Metcalfe (40), a Protestant civilian was shot and killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) while at his home in Drumnabreeze Road, Magheralin.

1991

  • 5 January 1991 - Jervis Lynch (26), a Catholic civilian, was shot and killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) while at his home in Acres Road, Magheralin.

People

Education

Magheralin has 2 primary schools:

  • Maralin Village Primary School[11]
  • St. Patrick's Primary School[12]

Sports

St. Michael's GAC is a Gaelic football club and playing field in Magheralin, founded in 1962.[13]

Additionally, Magheralin has a football club, Magheralin Village F.C. In 2018, a member of the club, Niall O'Hanlon, died after being hit by a car on New Forge Road. He was 25 years old. Magheralin Village F.C. posted on their Facebook page, describing him as "the heart and soul of our wee football club and village". DUP MLA Carla Lockhart said that the death was "devastating news".[14][15]

2011 Census

Age, Sex, Religion, Language, Nationality and Ethnicity

Magheralin is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 1,337 people living in Magheralin. Of these:

  • 24.0% (322 people) were aged 0-17 years old, 62.6% (841 people) were aged 18-64 years old, and 14.4% (180 people) were aged 65 and over
  • 47.6% of the population (639 people) were male and 52.4% (704 people) were female
  • 31.4% (404 people) were from a Catholic background, 58.8% (755 people) were from a Protestant background, 9.2% (118 people) followed no religion, and 0.6% (8 people), followed another unlisted religion
  • 98.1% (1,260 people) speak English as a Main Language (A3+), 0.5% (7 people) speak Polish as a Main Language, and 1.4% (18 people) speak another unlisted language
  • 69.8% (946 people) have a United Kingdom passport, 12.1% (164 people) have a Republic of Ireland passport, 2.3% (31 people) have an EU (other) passport, 0.5% (7 people) had another unlisted passport, and 15.3% (208 people) have no passport
  • 89.7% (1,204 people) were born in Northern Ireland, 4.9% (66 people) were born in Great Britain, 1.3% (17 people) were born in the Republic of Ireland, 2.2% (30 people) were born in EU (other), and 1.9% (26 people) were born in another unlisted country
  • 98.7% (1,326 people) are White, 0.5% (7 people) are Asian, 0.1% (2 people) are Mixed/Multiple, 0.07% (1 person) is Black, and 0.5% (7 people) are another unlisted ethnic group

Other Census Statistics

  • 1.7% Annual Population Change [2001-2011]
  • 2,076/km² Population Density [2011]
  • 0.6441 km² Area[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. 1 2 Place Names NI
  3. ↑ "Parishes of Northern Ireland". Public Record Office of NI. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "Magheralin (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Home - Magheralin Parish". Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "In Person Worship - Magheralin Parish". Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Staff Team - Magheralin Parish". Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Parish of Magheralin". magheralinparish.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ducks of Magheralin". Traditional Tune Archive. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Life of Father Dolling" Osborne, C.E p 335: London, Edward Arnold, 1903
  11. ↑ "Welcome to Maralin Village Primary School". 21 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "St Patricks PS, Magheralin". www.stpatricksmagheralin.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "History". St. Michael's GAC Magheralin. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Magheralin road death victim was village's 'life and soul'". BBC News. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  15. ↑ Edwards, Mark (12 May 2018). "Community left 'devastated' after death of Co Down footballer Niall O'Hanlon". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Magheralin (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
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