Newbuildings or
New Buildings is a large
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. 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 York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
County LondonderryCounty Londonderry or County Derry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland. It was named after its main town – and later city and administrative centre – Derry , which lies in the north-western corner of...
,
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is 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 shores of the
River FoyleThe 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
DerryDerry or Londonderry often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. It is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and fourth largest city in the island of Ireland...
. It remained a small settlement until the 1960s when large amounts of social housing was built on adjoining townlands. It had a population of 4,496 people in the
2001 CensusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
. Today, the village consists of four churches (Methodist, Independent Methodist,
Church of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
and Roman Catholic) two primary schools, post office, community association, retail units and a wide range of housing.
The village was founded in the early 17th century as part of the
Plantation of UlsterThe Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster by people from Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by the monarchy began in 1609. All land owned by Irish chieftains the Ó Neills and Ó Donnells were confiscated...
on land allocated to the
Worshipful Company of GoldsmithsThe 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 is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Between 1900 and 1955 the
County Donegal Railways Joint CommitteeThe County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated in north-west Ireland, during the 20th century. It was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1906, which authorized the joint purchase of the then Donegal Railway Company by the Great Northern Railway of Ireland and the Midland Railway...
had a station in Newbuildings, the line running along the east bank of the
River FoyleThe 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 or
New Buildings is a large
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. 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 York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
County LondonderryCounty Londonderry or County Derry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland. It was named after its main town – and later city and administrative centre – Derry , which lies in the north-western corner of...
,
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is 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 shores of the
River FoyleThe 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
DerryDerry or Londonderry often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. It is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and fourth largest city in the island of Ireland...
. It remained a small settlement until the 1960s when large amounts of social housing was built on adjoining townlands. It had a population of 4,496 people in the
2001 CensusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
. Today, the village consists of four churches (Methodist, Independent Methodist,
Church of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
and Roman Catholic) two primary schools, post office, community association, retail units and a wide range of housing.
History
The village was founded in the early 17th century as part of the
Plantation of UlsterThe Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster by people from Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by the monarchy began in 1609. All land owned by Irish chieftains the Ó Neills and Ó Donnells were confiscated...
on land allocated to the
Worshipful Company of GoldsmithsThe 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 is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Transport
Between 1900 and 1955 the
County Donegal Railways Joint CommitteeThe County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated in north-west Ireland, during the 20th century. It was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1906, which authorized the joint purchase of the then Donegal Railway Company by the Great Northern Railway of Ireland and the Midland Railway...
had a station in Newbuildings, the line running along the east bank of the
River FoyleThe 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
- 35.5% were from a Catholic
The word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
background and 62.7% were from a ProtestantProtestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman...
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.
For more details see:
NI Neighbourhood Information Service
Controversy
In 2005, the
Irish nationalistIrish nationalism comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in Ireland and the Irish people...
newspaper, the Irish News, asked if Newbuildings is "the most sectarian place in the north" based on reported attacks on the Catholic Church and the cars of mass-goers. This prompted an angry response from the community, some of whom made the journey to
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
to meet the newspaper's editor.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4557419.stm