Maguiresbridge

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Maguiresbridge
Seal
Nickname: The Bridge, The village That Never Sleeps
Country	Northern Ireland
Fermanagh
Elevation	10 m (33 ft)
Population (2007)[1]
- Total	740
BT94
Area code(s)	028
Website: www.maguiresbridge.gov

Maguiresbridge (Irish: Maghuíreas Brídeach) is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 774 people. It lies within the Fermanagh District Council area. The town is named after the bridge (over the Colebrooke River) first built by the local Maguire family.

Maguiresbridge is developing rapidly and with the construction of four new housing developments in the area totaling over 350 new properties. The population is now estimated to be over 1,500 as opposed to the 770 total in 2001 census. New shopping outlets have been constructed in Maguiresbridge to serve the growing population.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Troubles 2 Demographics 3 Transport 3.1 Rail 3.2 Bus 4 Education 5 Religion 6 See also 7 References

[edit] History

[edit] The Troubles

• See: The Troubles in Maguiresbridge

[edit] Demographics

Maguiresbridge is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 774 people living in Maguiresbridge.

Of these:

• 25.5% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over
• 50.4% of the population were male and 49.6% were female
• 40.4% were from a Catholic background and 57.6% were from a Protestant background
• 6.9% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

• At the turn of the last century, Maguiresbridge was served by four different railway systems which stretched throughout Northern Ireland, into County Londonderry, County Donegal and deep into southern Ireland. At that time, Maguiresbridge and Clones were two of the major junctions from Derry, Omagh, and Belfast into north Leinster, in particular, the major market towns of Athlone, Cavan, and Mullingar via the Inney junction. This back-bone rail infrastructure was administered by the Midland Great Western Railway which also linked to other major centres namely, Sligo, Tullamore, via Clara, other destinations such as Dublin, Limerick, and other market centres of the south coast.
• Maguiresbridge railway station on the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) opened on 1 March 1859 and finally closed on 1 October 1957. The station serving as the western terminus of the narrow gauge Clogher Valley Railway opened on 2 May 1887 and finally closed on 1 January 1942.^[2]

[edit] Bus

• There is a town bus service that runs daily, and a night bus service at weekends. Both services serve the town's suburbs.

[edit] Education

Schools

• St. Mary's Roman Catholic Primary
• Maguiresbridge Controlled Primary

[edit] Religion

Churches

• Roman Catholic (St. Mary's Chapel)
• Church of Ireland
• Methodist Church
• Presbyterian Church in Ireland

[edit] See also

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

[edit] References