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Magilligan (from Irish Ard Mhic Giollagáin, meaning 'Magilligan's height'[1]) is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive 79,000-acre (32,000-hectare) coastal site, part British army firing range, part nature reserve and is home to the HM Prison Magilligan.[2][3] The settlement of Magilligan Point on the lough is noted for its ferry crossing to Greencastle, County Donegal. The peninsula contains a civil parish of the same name.[4]
Magilligan
| |
|---|---|
 Magilligan Point | |
  Magilligan Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 578 (2001 Census) |
| Irish grid reference | H8396 |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | BT49 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
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Magilligan gets its name from "MacGilligans country", which formed a major part of the barony of Keenaght.[2]
Magilligan served as the base line for triangulation for the mapping of Ireland in the 19th century. Colonel Thomas Colby chose Magilligan due to the flatness of the strand and its proximity to Scotland which, along with the rest of Britain, had been accurately mapped in previous decades. A straight line precisely 30,533 feet (9,306 m) was measured from North Station to Ballykelly in 1828 from which all other references were measured. The survey finished in 1846 when County Kerry was mapped.[5]
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A Martello Tower stands to the north of Magilligan Point near the lough,[6][7] Building began in 1812, late in the British, and featured a round tower with gun mounts for two 24-pounder guns. A fort at Magilligan point was originally planned but was seen as impractical because of soft ground. The tower has been restored but is not generally open. It was built at the same time as the more unusual double-gunned tower across the lough at Greencastle. The tower was finished in 1817, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and never saw military action. During World War II the top of the tower was fitted out with a pillbox. Since its construction, sand deposits have enlarged the peninsula on which it stands and the tower is now some way from the sea.[8]
HM Prison Magilligan is situated along the main road (Point Road) to the east of the Magilligan Point.[6] It opened in 1972 and has a capacity of 568 prisoners.[3]
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It is close to Bellarena railway station and there is a ferry service which operates during the summer season, connecting Magilligan with Greencastle across the lough.[2]
During the 19th century the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR) operated a short lived tramway between the village of Magilligan and the settlement of Magilligan Point. Opening in July 1885 and closing in October 1885, it is the shortest lived passenger railway line in Ireland.[9]
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- Donnchadh Ó hÁmsaigh (1695–1807) – Irish harpist[10]
- John Graham – Church of Ireland clergyman, a senior officer of the Orange Order, and a prolific author of poetic and historical works
- Eddie Butcher (1900–1980) – singer, songwriter and song collector[11]: 1
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