Limavady, NIR - Postcode - BT49 9LP

Description of Limavady

Against the backdrop of Binevenagh, the Northern Irish town of Limavady serves as a bustling marketplace. Limavady, with a population of 12,032 in the 2011 Census, is located 17 miles (27 km) east of Derry and 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Coleraine. During the four decades beginning in 1971 and ending in 2011, Limavady's population increased by about one-half. The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough includes the town of Limavady.

The majority of these new homes were constructed in the Bovally neighborhood in the south-eastern outskirts of town from 1988 to 2004. Just three kilometers (two miles) to the north of town is the sprawling Aghanloo industrial estate.

History of Limavady

The town of Limavady and the neighboring communities have Celtic origins, while the precise time of its founding is unknown. Circa 5 C.E., estimates began to emerge. According to historical accounts, Saint Columba presided over a conference of the Kings at Mullagh Hill, which is now a part of the Roe Park Resort, near Limavady around 575 CE.

Traditional Gaelic Ireland was partitioned into independent kingdoms, with each one being controlled by a different family or clan. The O'Cahans were the most prominent family in Limavady. Their imprint permeates the entire city and its environs. One of Limavady's most significant historical landmarks is O'Cahan's Rock. It was here that one of the Chiefs' dogs supposedly crossed the river to alert neighboring tribes to an unexpected onslaught. Limavady is the anglicized form of the Gaelic name Leim an Mhadaidh, which translates to "jump of the dog." The Roe Valley Country Park is home to this rock and other historical artifacts from Limavady.

A modest Plantation village established by Sir Thomas Phillips eventually grew into the modern city. The O'Cahan castle in Limavady was part of the 13,100-acre plot of property given to Sir Thomas Phillips in 1610. He initiated construction on a cruciform road layout for the "Newtown of Limavady." On 31 March 1613, with the help of a charter from King James I, the town of Newtown Limavady became established and elected a Provost and 12 Burgesses. In 1622, a flagpole, cross, and stocks stood at the intersection where 18 one-story homes and an inn had been constructed.

Limavady was historically connected to the Irish whiskey and linen trades. Distilling whiskey was legalized in 1608 when King James I issued a license to Sir Thomas Phillips, for the next seven years, in the county of Colrane, also known as O Cahanes countrey, or in the territory called Rowte, in Co. Antrim, by himselfe or his servauntes, to make, draw, and distill such and soe great quantities of aquavite, usquabagh, and aqua composita, as he or his assignes shall thinke fitt; and the same to sell, vent, and dispose of to any persons,

In 1750, on the banks of the River Roe, the Limavady Distillery first opened. There was a second expansion of linen manufacture in the 19th century, but it did not help Limavady. Therefore, it remained a small market town until the latter part of the twentieth century. In 1872, construction was finished on what would become Limavady Town Hall, which would subsequently become the Alexander Memorial Hall and is currently a part of the Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre.