Limavady

Template:Infobox Irish Place Limavady (IPA: [lɪmə'vadi]) (from the Irish: Léim an Mhadaidh meaning "leap of the dog") is a busy market town in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland, with Benevenagh as a backdrop. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census. Limavady is most famous for the tune Londonderry Air collected by Jane Ross in the mid-19th century from a local fiddle player and later used for the song Danny Boy and other famous lyrics.

Limavady is quite renowned in Ulster, lying in the beautiful Roe Valley district and heralding many gems - among them, Broighter Gold.

Places of interest

Roe Valley Country Park on the River Roe is nearby. The birthplace of New Zealand prime minister William Massey is on Irish Green Street. Nearby Massey Avenue is also named after William Massey.

History

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Limavady, which includes a list of incidents in Limavady during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Administration

It contains the headquarters of Limavady Borough Council. Together with the neighbouring district of Coleraine, it forms the East Londonderry constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Transport

• Limavady station on the Limavady railway closed in 1955.

• The Broharris Canal was constructed in the 1820s when a cut, some 2 miles long on the south shore of Lough Foyle near Ballykelly was made in the direction of Limavady. The inhabitants of Limavady appealed for the building of a canal from Lough Foyle to the town but were turned down and the Broharris Canal, was the nearest they came to achieving such a navigable link.

Sport

• Limavady United
• Newtown Y.F.C.

2001 Census

Limavady is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 12,135 people living in Limavady. Of these:

• 25.4% were aged under 16 years and 14.3% were aged 60 and over
• 48.8% of the population were male and 51.2% were female
• 41.6% were from a Catholic background and 56.5% were from a Protestant background;
• 5.1% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

References

• Culture Northern Ireland

External links

• Borough of Limavady
• Limavady and the Roe Valley by Jochen Lueg

See also

• List of towns in Northern Ireland
• List of villages in Northern Ireland