Swatragh

Swatragh Irish: an Suaitreach
Swatragh Church of Ireland
Location within Northern Ireland
Population	438 (2011 Census)
• Belfast	43 mi (69 km)
District	Mid Ulster
County	County Londonderry
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MAGHERA
Postcode district	BT46
Dialling code	028
UK Parliament	Mid Ulster
NI Assembly	Mid Ulster

Swatragh (from Irish an Suaitreach, meaning 'billeted soldier')^[1][2][3] is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Swatragh is on the main A29 road north of Maghera, and is situated within Mid-Ulster District. The population was 438 in the 2011 Census. The village has three churches: one Roman Catholic, one Church of Ireland, and one Presbyterian. The Catholic and Church of Ireland churches are listed buildings. St John's is the local primary school.

Swatragh Bridge Over The Knockoneil River tributary to the Clady

Swatragh's name in Irish, an Suaitreach, is derived from a shortened form of Baile an tSuaitrigh meaning "townland of the billeted soldier".

Sport

Swatragh is home to Michael Davitt Gaelic Athletic Club. Several of the club's Gaelic football players have represented Derry GAA.

There is also a boxing club located within the village.

Notable people

• Brian Keenan – IRA leader
• Jude McAtamney – NFL kicker^[4]
• Terry McFlynn – professional association football player
• Anthony Tohill – Gaelic footballer

Rivers

The Knockoneil River flows through the village and is leased by the Clady And District Angling Club. The rivers best access is mainly downstream from the Swatragh Bridge downstream towards Beagh Bridge. The river can also be easy fished so far upstream about a fields length before becoming wild and overgrown Brown trout is plentiful along this stretch of the river as well as late Salmon and Bann Trout. The Knockoneil is an artery of the Clady River along with the Grillagh River.

References

1. Placenames NI: Swatragh Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
2. Placenames Database of Ireland: Swatragh
3. Dictionary definition of Swatragh
4. Deren, Bobby (23 August 2022). "Jude McAtamney took long path to become Rutgers' starting kicker". 247Sports. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

• NI Neighbourhood Information Service
• NI population of settlements estimates from 2011 census
• Draft Magherafelt Area Plan 2015
• Culture Northern Ireland