Your
Stay in Magherafelt Town
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When you choose Laurel Villa
for a 5 star break, you are choosing hotel-quality accommodation
in a great location.
Magherafelt is a thriving, friendly town with a population
of about 11,000 people. It has great shops, restaurants and
bars and the Magherafelt District Council’s leisure facilities
are second to none. A new indoor arena at Meadowbank is state-of-the-art
and is one of the largest in Europe.
Magherafelt has a reputation as a great place to live with
good community relations, excellent schools and colleges and
one of the lowest crime rates in the country.
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Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
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Early History
Magherafelt has a fascinating history. It was formerly known
as Teach Fiolta which translates from the Gaelic as The Monastic
House of Felta or Fioltis.
There was almost certainly an Early Christian church here and St.
Patrick is said to have visited the place. Indeed some scholars
believe that Magherafelt was the place Patrick was referring to
when he wrote in his Confession that he
heard the Voice of the Irish who lived beside the Wood of Foclut
calling him back to walk among them.
Magherafelt is mentioned in the Ecclesiastical Taxation of Ireland
1302-6 and it was valued at half a mark. The site of this ancient
church is marked by the ruins of a later Planters’ church that can
be seen within the walls of the old graveyard to the rear of The
Bridewell.
The Salters’ Company
Magherafelt Town’s present layout owes much to its development by
the Salters’ Company of London at the time of the Plantation of
Ulster from 1615 onwards. Just a short walk from Laurel Villa is
Broad St. This was the first street of houses built by the Londoners
and it is often cited as a great example of early 17th. century
town planning. It also features in one of Seamus Heaney’s poems.
Although the Salters’ Company no longer have a direct involvement
in the town, there are a number of company crests still visible
on buildings in the neighbourhood, including one at the Rainey Endowed
School, founded in 1710.
Some Historical Snippets
Magherafelt has been described in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of
1836 as a very sociable place where the locals were very attentive
to strangers. The Memoirs also tell us that the Knipe Brothers from
Magherafelt were the tallest twins in Ireland. Other writers have
immortalised the town, including the poet John Hewitt who, in the
poem Ulster Names declared that Magherafelt
breeds the best of men I’ll not deny it - and there
is a famous traditional ballad called Magherafelt May
Fair (often quoted by Seamus
Heaney) which records the famous hiring fair which took
place in the town.
Magherafelt Today
Magherafelt today offers something for everyone. Shoppers can choose
from a number of small independent retailers including some exclusive
ladies' boutiques. There is also a selection of larger national
outlets and the newly renovated Meadowlane Shopping Centre is regarded
as one of the best in N. Ireland. Magherafelt is also fast becoming
a mecca for beauty, health and well-being services. The Spa on Broad
Street is one of many such establishments.
Magherafelt Restaurants and Bars
Magherafelt has a number of fine restaurants including Gardiners,
the Terrace, Simplicity and Sizzlers. We are pleased to recommend
Gardiners
Restaurant under our Preferred Partner arrangement. A more comprehensive
list is included in our Guest Information folder. We will be happy
to book a table at any of these eating places which are all within
a few minutes walk from here.
Magherafelt's nightlife is very varied and plentiful. Top-class
live gigs are a feature of Bryson's Bar and there are regular traditional
music sessiuns in the Terrace Hotel. Dorman’s is one of the most
popular bars in all of the North while the Flax Inn will suit those
interested in a quiet pint of Guinness and a bit of craic. Again
a comprehensive list of all Magherafelt pubs is included in our
Guest Information folder.
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