Newbuildings
Encyclopedia
Newbuildings or New Buildings is a large village
in County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
. It lies about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the banks of the River Foyle
and 5 km (3 mi) south of the city of Derry
. It had a population of 4,496 people in the 2001 Census
.
on land allocated to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
of London
.
It remained a small settlement until the 1960s, when large amounts of social housing was built on adjoining townlands. Today, the village consists of four churches (Methodist, Independent Methodist, Church of Ireland
and Roman Catholic). It also has two primary schools - one Protestant, one Catholic, post office,community association, retail units and a wide range of housing.
to the west.
It is within the parish
of Clondermot. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is split into a number of townland
s, whose names are derived from the Irish language
. Over time, the urban area of Newbuildings has spread into the following townlands:
had a station in Newbuildings, the line running along the east bank of the River Foyle
. Newbuildings railway station opened on 6 August 1900 and finally closed on 1 January 1955.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
newspaper The Irish News
printed a story about Newbuildings, with the headline "the most sectarian
place in the north?". This was due to the many attacks on the Catholic church, the cars of mass
-goers. This prompted an angry response from the community, some of whom made the journey to Belfast
to meet the newspaper's editor.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It lies about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the banks of the River Foyle
River Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...
and 5 km (3 mi) south of the city of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. It had a population of 4,496 people in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
History
The village was founded in the early 17th century as part of the Plantation of UlsterPlantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
on land allocated to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company, which has origins in the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327. It ranks fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutum Regina, Latin for Justice...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
It remained a small settlement until the 1960s, when large amounts of social housing was built on adjoining townlands. Today, the village consists of four churches (Methodist, Independent Methodist, Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
and Roman Catholic). It also has two primary schools - one Protestant, one Catholic, post office,community association, retail units and a wide range of housing.
Geography
Newbuildings sits on an area of flat land between Clondermot Hill to the east and the River FoyleRiver Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...
to the west.
It is within the parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Clondermot. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is split into a number of townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
s, whose names are derived from the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. Over time, the urban area of Newbuildings has spread into the following townlands:
- Ballyore
- Dunhugh (from Dún Aodha meaning "Hugh's stronghold")
- Gortin (from an Goirtín meaning "the small enclosed field")
- Kittybane (from Céide Bán meaning "white flat-topped hill")
- Magheracanon (from Machaire Canánach meaning "plain of the canon")
- Primity
- Rossnagalliagh (from Ros na gCailleach meaning "wood of the nuns")
Transport
Between 1900 and 1955 the County Donegal Railways Joint CommitteeCounty Donegal Railways Joint Committee
The County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated an extensive 3 foot gauge railway system serving county Donegal, Ireland,from 1906 until 1960...
had a station in Newbuildings, the line running along the east bank of the River Foyle
River Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...
. Newbuildings railway station opened on 6 August 1900 and finally closed on 1 January 1955.
2001 Census
Newbuildings is classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as being within Derry Urban Area (DUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 4,496 people living in Newbuildings. Of these:- 26.4% were aged under 16 years and 13.0% were aged 60 and over
- 48.8% of the population were male and 51.2% were female
- 62.7% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
background and 35.5% were from a CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
background - 3.5% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
NIMDM Deprivation 2005
Of 582 wards in Northern Ireland, 'New Buildings' was ranked as the 259th most deprived.Controversy
In 2005, Irish nationalistIrish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
newspaper The Irish News
The Irish News
The Irish News is a compact-sized daily newspaper based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is perceived as being broadly Irish nationalist in outlook...
printed a story about Newbuildings, with the headline "the most sectarian
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
place in the north?". This was due to the many attacks on the Catholic church, the cars of mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
-goers. This prompted an angry response from the community, some of whom made the journey to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to meet the newspaper's editor.