Clady
| |
|---|---|
 Urney Road, for Strabane | |
  Clady Location withinNorthern Ireland | |
| Population | 623 (2021 census) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STRABANE |
| Postcode district | BT82 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
| |
Clady (fromIrishClaidigh, meaning 'muddy margin of a stream or river'[1]) is a small village and townland inCounty Tyrone,Northern Ireland. It lies about 4 miles fromStrabane on theRiver Finn and borders theRepublic of Ireland. In the2021 census it had a population of 623 people.[2] It is withinUrneycivil parish and the formerbarony ofStrabane Lower. In local government it is part of theDerry City and Strabane District Council. The townland covers an area of 173 acres.[3]
The village is one of the oldest in the district. The village is referred to as Claudy[4] inSamuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, but early and later works attribute the name, Clady,[5][6] distinguishing it fromClaudy in County Londonderry.
Next to the village is an important passage over the River Finn, one of the "passes", which controlled the access toDerry from the south and east in the times when the ferry at Drry was the only means to cross the River Foyle. Originally, the passage at Clady was provided by a ford, known as the Cladyford. Soon a bridge was built, which existed already in the 17th century. According to Lewis in 1840, a "handsome bridge of seven arches" spanned the river near the village.[7]
This passage over the Finn was contested during theWilliamite War on 15 April 1689 when Jacobite cavalry underRichard Hamilton and theDuke of Berwick forced the passage.[8] Some days laterJames II crossed the Finn at this place, proceeded to Derry and summoned the city to surrender. With these events started theSiege of Derry.
In February 1922, during theIrish War of Independence, anUlster Special Constabulary platoon attempting to enter Clady were forced to withdraw two nights in a row after coming under fire from theIrish Republican Army. One USC officer was killed in the clashes.[9]
For more information seeThe Troubles in Clady (Tyrone), which includes a list of incidents in Clady during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
The population of the village decreased during the 19th century:[10][11]
| Year | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 219 | 155 | 170 | 119 | 121 | 109 |
| Houses | 44 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 28 | 31 |
The population of the townland increased overall during the 19th century:[12][13]
| Year | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 12 | 61 | 49 | 38 | 62 |
| Houses | 10 | 2 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
In 1891, the town of Clady, which stands in the townlands of Clady and Donnygowen, had an estimated area of 10 acres.[14]
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 538 people living in Clady,[15] of which:
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under theOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)