County Londonderry

County Londonderry

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For other places with similar names, see Londonderry (disambiguation) and Derry (disambiguation).

County Londonderry /

County Derry

Contae Dhoire[1]

Coonty Lunnonderrie / Coonty Derrie

Motto: Auxilium A Domino  (Latin)

"Help comes from the Lord"

Location

Statistics

Province:        Ulster

County seat:  Coleraine

Area:   2,074 km2 (801 sq mi) (15th)

Population (2001)     233,500 (6th) [2]

County Londonderry or County Derry is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoined to the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,074 km², with a population of approximately 233,550. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland, lying within the historical province of Ulster.

Since 1981 it has become one of four counties in Northern Ireland that has a Catholic majority (55.56% according to the 2001 Census[3]), with 57% of the Catholic population residing within Derry City Borough.[3]

The highest point in the county is the summit of Sawel Mountain (678m) on the border with County Tyrone. Sawel is part of the Sperrin Mountains, which dominate the southern part of the county. To the east and west, the land falls into the valleys of the Bann and Foyle rivers respectively; in the south-east, the county touches the shore of Lough Neagh, which is the largest lake in Ireland; the north of the county is distinguished by the steep cliffs, dune systems and remarkable beaches of the Atlantic coast.

The county is home to a number of important buildings and landscapes, including the well-preserved 17th-century city walls of Derry; the National Trust-owned Plantation estate at Springhill; the Mussenden Temple with its spectacular views of the Atlantic; the dikes, artificial coastlines and the noted bird sanctuaries on the eastern shore of Lough Foyle; and the visitor centre at Bellaghy Bawn, close to the childhood home of Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney. In the centre of the county are the old-growth deciduous forests at Banagher and Ness Wood, where the Burntollet River flows over the highest waterfalls in Northern Ireland.

The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage.[4] The term Oak Leaf County is the county nickname particularly in relation to the county's teams in Gaelic Athletic Association competitions.

Contents [hide]

1 Name

2 History

3 Administration

4 Settlements

5 Subdivisons

6 Education

7 Sport

8 Media

9 See also

10 References

11 External links

Name

[show]Historical populations

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire[11] (Modern Irish Doire[12]) meaning oak-grove or oak-wood.[13] As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] The name Derry is used in the Republic of Ireland, while most of the British authorities use the name Londonderry.

History

Map of County Londonderry, 1837

The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage

Unlike the town, governmentally there was not a preceding administrative area called County Derry. Rather County Londonderry was created by James I when he gave a charter to the Irish Society to undertake the new county's plantation – the London prefix being added in reference to the London Livery Companies of the Irish Society. This charter is dated 29 March 1613,[24] and declared that the "City of Londonderry" and everything contained within:

“         

shall be united, consolidated, and from hence-forth for ever be one entire County of itself, distinct and separate from all our Counties whatsoever within our Kingdom of Ireland-and from henceforth for ever be named, accounted and called, the County of Londonderry.[24]

”

This new county would comprise the then County Coleraine, which consisted of the baronies of Tirkeeran, Coleraine, and Keenaght; all but the south-west corner of the barony of Loughinsholin, which was then a part of County Tyrone; the North East Liberties of Coleraine, which was part of County Antrim; and the City and Liberties of Londonderry, which were in County Donegal.[24][25] The liberties of Coleraine and Londonderry were requested by the Irish society so that they could control both banks of the mouths of the River Foyle and the River Bann and have access to sufficient wood for construction.[26]

Administratively, the city became a separate county borough, so from the establishment of Londonderry County Council in 1899 until its abolition in 1973, the town of Coleraine was the official county town of County Londonderry with the county council's headquarters.

Administration

Since 1973, administration has been divided between district councils. The councils covering the county are Derry City Council, Limavady Borough Council, and Magherafelt District Council; and most of Coleraine Borough Council, which is partly in County Antrim; and part of Cookstown District Council, which is largely in County Tyrone.