Bellaghy Bawn

Places to See | Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

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Bellaghy Village was one of the first planned towns in Ireland, built on land owned by a London company, Vintners.  It is off the usual tourist trail, but worth making the journey to see.  The countryside is beautiful, the museum is free and there are picnic tables to use on a good day.

Bellaghy Bawn is a fortified house and bawn (the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house, and one of the more famous of the Historic Houses in Northern Ireland.

This 17th Century Bawn is the best restored example to be found anywhere in Northern Ireland. The Original Bawn was virtually destroyed in the 1641 rebellion when the greater part of Bellaghy was burnt to the ground.

The Vintners Company fortified house and bawn was occupied until 1987. It was opened to the public in 1996. Inside there are exhibitions on local history, and on poetry by local Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, described as “the most important Irish poet since Yeats” who grew up in Bellaghy and much of his work reflects life there.

Address: Bellaghy Bawn, Castle Street, Bellaghy, Co. Londonderry, BT45 8LA

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