Culnady

Culnady (named after the townland of Culnady) is a small village near Maghera in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 144 people. It is situated within Mid-Ulster District.

History

 * Dunglady fort is a Ringfort located less than a mile from the village of Culnady variously dated from around 100 AD, to as early as 2000 BC.It is 110m in diameter with three banks and three ditches (up to 5m. deep) with a straight entrance. A legendary home of the Celtic Kings, it is the earliest known instance of residence in the Culnady area. The fort was occupied by tribes during the earliest periods of Irish history, until the arrival of the plantations (c.17th century) in Ireland, at which time settlers began to live in the low-lying areas surrounding the Clady river, using it for farming, and thus the village of Culnady was born.

Rivers
The Grillagh River which is the river that flows through the village underneath the Old Culnady Bridge where a large weir has been constructed to dam the Grillagh for hydro energy for the Culnady mill which is nothing more than rubble these days the Grillagh merges with the Knockoneil to form the Clady below Curdian Bridge. The Knockoneil River is the other local river in the area it comes down from Upperlands under Dunglady Bridge then shortly downstream merges with the Grillagh to form the Clady.

The Clady River is themain river in the area it can be seen below Eden Bridge not far from the village it flows down towards Greenlough then through Clady and flows out into the Lower Bann above Portglenone

Demography
Culnady lies within
 * Upperlands census ward
 * Magherafelt Local Government District
 * Mid Ulster Parliamentary Constituency
 * Northern Health and Social Care Trust
 * North Eastern Education and Library Board.

In the 2005 Urban Rural Classification, it was classified as a rural ward. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 144 people.

Notable landmarks

 * Culnady Presbyterian Church - The earliest records of the church date from 1801, but it is believed to have been in existence long before this. The church is part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and is paired with the presbyterian Church in Swatragh. As of 2010, the Church has roughly 120 attending families.
 * Culnady Primary School - The school dates from the late 1800s and closed in summer 2019.
 * Culnady Orange Hall - The lodge dates back to 1870, and in 1906 an agreement was drawn up between the members of the lodge and Daniel McAlery, who owned the ground where the present lodge now stands. The lodge is part of the Orange Order and is one of the largest lodges in the surrounding district.
 * The village store – Originally established in 1956 by John A. McGuiness, now permanently closed.