County Londonderry
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| County Londonderry / County Derry Contae Dhoire |
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| Province: | Ulster | |
| County seat: | Coleraine | |
| Area: | 2,074 km² | |
| Population (est.) | 213,000[citation needed] | |
County Londonderry or County Derry (Irish: Contae Dhoire) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland in the province of Ulster in Ireland. It was named after its main town – and later city and administrative centre – Derry (Londonderry), which lies in the north-western corner of the county.
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.[1]
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[edit] Name
As with the town, its name is subject to the Derry-Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists. The name Derry is used in the Republic of Ireland, it also has a mixed usage in Northern Ireland, depending on the source; while most of the British authorities prefer to use the name Londonderry.
[edit] History
Unlike the town, historically there was not a preceding County Derry: it was established in 1613 by combining the former County of Coleraine with small parts of Counties Antrim, Donegal, and Tyrone at the behest of the London Livery Companies and the Irish Society (hence, London-Derry) 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.
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.
[edit] 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. It is one of four historic counties of Northern Ireland to presently have a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, according to the 2001 census.
[edit] Education
Government-funded education up to secondary school level is administered by
- Western Education and Library Board: Derry, Limavady
- North Eastern Education and Library Board: Coleraine, Magherafelt
- Southern Education and Library Board: Cookstown
For Catholic grant-maintained schools administration is by the Derry Diocesan Education Office.
Two major centres of the University of Ulster are in the county, including its headquarters at Coleraine and the Magee Campus in Derry.
[edit] Sport
In the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Derry county teams wear the colours red and white. There are many club teams competing in up to five leagues and three championships. The county team has won one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (1993) and five National League titles. Hurling is also widely played but is not as popular as football. However, the county team is generally regarded as one of the top hurling sides in Ulster and in 2006 won the Nicky Rackard Cup - the third tier hurling competition in Ireland.
In Association Football, County Londonderry is represented in the Irish Premier League by Limavady United, Institute F.C. and Coleraine F.C.. Portstewart and Tobermore United compete in Division One. Derry City F.C. play in the Premier Division of the eircom League of Ireland after leaving Ulster's league structures by mutual consent at the height of The Troubles due to crowd trouble between the side's predominantly nationalist/republican supporters and supporters of some unionist/loyalist clubs.
In Rugby union, the county is represented at senior level by City of Derry Rugby Club and Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club, Magherafelt. Limavady R.F.C, Londonderry Y.M.C.A and Coleraine Rugby Club compete in the qualifying leagues.
The county currently has four main radio stations
- BBC Radio Foyle
- Q102.9
- Q97.2
- Six FM (in the south of the county)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ County flowers in Britain www.plantlife.org.uk
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