Dungiven, NIR - Postcode - BT47 4LJ

Description of Dungiven

Located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Dungiven is a town, townland, and civil parish known as Dungiven (Irish: Dn Geimhin, meaning "Gevin's fort"). The major A6 highway between Belfast and Derry passes close there. It is located at the confluence of the Roe, Owenreagh, and Owenbeg rivers, below Benbradagh, a mountain that rises to an elevation of 4,652 feet (1,525.9 meters). Glenshane Pass, where the elevation of the road increases by more than 1,000 feet, is located close by (300 m). In the most recent count, from 2011, there were 3,288 people living there, which is a 10% increase from the 2,993 counted in 2001. The area falls within the jurisdiction of the council for the Causeway Coast and Glens. 

History of Dungiven

Evidence of human habitation in the area dates back at least a thousand years. Some scholars believe that an abbey was established in the region about the year 700. St. Mary's Abbey, an Augustinian establishment, was established in the 11th century. The tomb of O'Cahan (Cooey na Gall O' Cahan), who died in 1385, was located inside its ruins. [4] A bullaun stone, sought after for the treatment of warts, is hidden in a thicket of thorn bushes strung with rags. The Catháin clan, one of Ulster's most powerful, governed the region between the 12th and 17th centuries.

Dungiven Castle and the Church of Ireland (Anglican church) served as the town's first focal points, and the community grew westward along Chapel Road and Main Street to the Roe River's crossing site.

The River Roe is Northern Ireland's largest river and a prominent waterway in the city. In the western part of Dungiven, near Dungiven Bridge, you can get a glimpse of the river. It rises in the Glenshane Pass and winds to the north and west before entering the town of Burnfoot and continuing north towards Limavady.

Starting in Feeny and emptying into the Roe just downstream of Buttermilk Bridge, the Owenbeg River is a sizable tributary to the Roe. Upstream of the new A6 Bridge is the confluence of another important tributary, the Owenreagh River, which has its source in Banagher Glen.

The Pellipar Burn is a tiny river or stream that cuts through the middle of town, with some of its water passing beneath the ground in culverts due to pollution. The fire is visible from New Street, just below New Bridge and to the right of the Church. It joins the Roe a short distance downstream from Pellipar Bridge. Pellipar House inspired the burn's eponymous name.

Similarly sized to the Pellipar, the Derryware Burn enters the River Roe just north of Pellipar House Estate. In terms of British politics, the settlement is included in East Londonderry. Gregory Campbell, a member of the DUP, has represented the district in Parliament since 2001. The Northern Ireland Assembly constituency and the corresponding British constituency share the same name. Two Democratic Unionist Party members, one independent unionist, one Sinn Féin member, and one SDLP member were elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2017. The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council includes the region as part of the Benbradagh district. Three Sinn Féin, one SDLP, and one DUP council members were elected in 2019.