Bellaghy Area

Bellaghy (from Irish: Baile Eachaidh meaning "Haughey's Townland"). It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north of Magherafelt. At the centre of the village lies the junction of three main roads leading to Magherafelt, Portglenone and Toome. It had a population of 1,063 people in the 2001 Census. It is within the Magherafelt District Council area.

Built around 1619 by Sir Baptist Jones, Bellaghy Bawn is a fortified house and bawn (the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house). What exists today is a mix of various building styles from different periods with the main house lived in until 1987.

Seamus Heaney is a local Nobel Laureate and Bellaghy Bawn, which was opened to the public in 1996, has resources on site including a film made for the bawn as well as a collection of his broadcasts. There are also exhibitions on local natural history, local history and Seamus Heaney’s poetry.

The turfman sculpture bronze statue commemorating a character in a Seamus Heaney poem by scottish artist David Annand

Close by is the beautiful Church Island, On a visit to the island you will discover the ruins of an old church with no spire! The spire was built beside the church for Bishop Harvey in the late 1700's who wanted a view of a spire from his dwelling in Bellaghy. It is thought that the ruins of the church date back to the time of St. Patrick who used the River Bann to navigate t the island to meet with Taoide to found an early Christian settlement.