Maghaberry

Maghaberry or Magaberry (pronounced ma-gah-bree, from Irish: Maigh gCabraí, meaning "plain of poor land")^[1][2] is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is 9 kilometres west of Lisburn and 4 kilometres north of Moira. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,696 people. It is one of the biggest villages within the Lisburn City Council area.

History

Until the early 20th century, Maghaberry was a rural townland with a crossroads, on the edge of a plateau. The economy of the area was mainly farming, although there were some limestone quarries. Today, the village serves as a commuter settlement, with its population mostly working and shopping elsewhere. It includes a community centre, Maghaberry Primary School, Maghaberry Methodist Church, Elim Tabernacle, a village hall and shops.

Places of interest

HMP Maghaberry is a modern high security prison housing adult male long term sentenced and remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions. There are 939 staff and room for 718 prisoners in single cell accommodation.

2001 Census

Maghaberry is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 1,000 and 2,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,696 people living in Maghaberry. Of these:

• 26.5% were aged under 16 years and 7.5% were aged 60 and over
• 50.5% of the population were male and 49.5% were female
• 6.7% were from a Catholic background and 88.9% were from a Protestant background
• 1.1% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

References

1. ^ Placenames NI
2. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland

• NI prison Service - Maghaberry
• Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015

Coordinates: 54°30′18″N 6°11′25″W / 54.505°N 6.19028°W / 54.505; -6.19028