Dungiven

There is evidence of settlement in the area for at least 1000 years. There may have been an abbey in the area around 700AD. The Augustinian abbey of St Mary's was built in the 11th century. Its ruins contain the tomb of O'Cahan (Cooey na Gall O' Cahan), laid to rest in 1385.[4] A thicket of thorn bushes hung with rags conceals a bullaun stone, visited for wart cures.[5]

Between the 12th and 17th centuries the area was ruled by the Ó Catháin clan, one of the most influential clans in Ulster and respected throughout Ireland. In the early 17th century they built Dungiven Castle, which - having been substantially rebuilt in the 19th century - remains today as a restaurant and guesthouse. The world-famous song Danny Boy is taken from a melody composed by the Ó Catháin bard, Ruairí Dall Ó Catháin. The original version concerns the passing of the Chief Cooey-na-Gall, whose death brought an end to the long line of O'Cahan chiefs.[5]

The town sprang up around Dungiven Castle and the Church of Ireland (Anglican church), later spreading westwards along Chapel Road and Main Street towards the bridging point on the River Roe. Because of the River Roe's flood plain and the line of a proposed by-pass, housing development has been mostly to the east and north of the town. It is an important service centre for the surrounding rural hinterland; offering educational, health, commercial, social, community and recreational facilities.[6]

The village is part of the East Londonderry UK Parliamentary constituency. The MP for the constituency since 2001 has been Gregory Campbell. The UK constituency is coterminous with the Northern Ireland Assembly constituency of the same name. The five MLAs elected in 2017 were 2 DUP, 1 independent unionist, 1 Sinn Féin and 1 SDLP. It forms part of the Benbradagh district electoral area of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. In 2019 this area elected 3 Sinn Féin, 1 SDLP and 1 DUP councillors.

St. Patrick's College is the secondary school in the town. It is located on Curragh Road.[8] St. Canice's is the primary school.[9] Gaelscoil Neachtain is a co-educational, interdenominational Irish-medium primary school.[10] In 2015, Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, an Irish-medium post-primary school, opened in Dungiven Castle.[11]

Gaelic games are the most popular sports in the area. St Canice's Dungiven is the local Gaelic football club;[12] the team plays at O'Cahan Park and have won the Derry Senior Football Championship 7 times, and won the Ulster Senior Football Championship once, in 1997.

Kevin Lynch's is the local hurling club; they have won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship a record 22 times. The team plays at Kevin Lynch Park.

Dungiven Celtic F.C. is an association football club playing in the Northern Ireland Intermediate League.

According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), on Census day (27 March 2011) there were 3,288 people living in Dungiven.[2] Of these:

• 24.57% were aged under 16 and 10.55% were aged 65 and over
• 48.87% of the population were male and 51.13% were female
• 95.41% were from a Catholic background and 3.65% were from a Protestant or other Christian background
• 8.63% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

• Dungiven sits on the main A6 road and has good road links to Derry (29 km to the west) and Limavady (13 km to the north). A proposed by-pass for Dungiven, following a route to the south west of the town, has been marked-out since the 1973 Limavady Area Plan.[6]
• Dungiven was the terminus of the Limavady railway, which closed in 1950. Dungiven railway station opened on 4 July 1883, closed for passenger traffic on 1 January 1933 and closed altogether on 3 July 1950.[13]

• Francis Brolly (1938-2020), Musician and Sinn Féin MLA for East Londonderry
• Joe Brolly (b. 1969), lawyer and member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won All Stars in 1996 and 1997
• Mary Dillon (b. 1964), folk singer
• Cara Dillon (b. 1975), folk singer
• Kevin Lynch (1956-1981), hunger striker who died in 1981; the Dungiven hurling team was renamed Kevin Lynch's Hurling Club for him after his death
• Paul McCloskey (b. 1979), professional boxer, former British and European light welterweight champion
• Brian McGilligan (b. 1963), member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won All Stars in 1987 and 1993
• Geoffrey McGonagle (b. 1974), former Derry dual player
• Kieran McKeever (b. 1968), member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team; won an All Star in 2000
• Sister Aloysius McVeigh (1923-2008), Artist, iconographer and teacher
• John Mitchel (1815-1875), a 19th-century Irish patriot who inspired the Young Ireland Movement, was born at Camnish, between Dungiven and Burnfoot; the Mitchel Park area is named for him
• Frances Molloy (1947-1991), novelist
• John Eddie Mullan (1923-2008), former Derry player
• Eoghan Quigg (b. 1992), musician, singer

Dungiven is mentioned in the Brian Friel play Making History, as the place where Mabel Bagnel goes after the Siege of Kinsale.

• List of civil parishes of County Londonderry