Greysteel or Gresteel[1] is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies 9 miles (14 km) to the east of Derry and 7 miles (11 km) to the west of Limavady on the main A2 coast road between Limavady and Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle. It is designated as a Large Village and in the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,229 people,[2] an increase of almost 20% compared to 1991.[3] It is situated within Causeway Coast and Glens district.
History
The village lies mostly within the townlands of Gresteel More and Gresteel Beg. The name "Greysteel" may be a part-translation of the Irish Glas-stiall, meaning "grey strip (of land)",[4] and the Placenames Database of Ireland gives this as the Irish name of the village.[1] An older English name for the area was "Glasteele".[4]
The Troubles
During the Troubles, nine people were killed in the Greysteel area:
- On 14 November 1976, Jim Loughrey was shot dead by loyalists at his home.[citation needed]
- On 30 October 1993, members of the Ulster Defence Association carried out a mass shooting at the Rising Sun public house, killing eight civilians. This became known as the Greysteel massacre.
Features
Places of interest
- Nearby Faughanvale Old church dates back to the medieval period and is dedicated to Saint Canice.[5]
Transport
The village is adequately served in terms of public transport and City of Derry Airport is located 4 km to the west.[3]
Sport
- Faughanvale GAC is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.
2001 Census
Greysteel is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,229 people living in Greysteel. Of these:
- 25.4% were aged under 16 years and 11.7% were aged 60 and over
- 50.2% of the population were male and 49.8% were female
- 96.6% were from a Catholic background and 2.9% were from a Protestant background
- 0.8% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service
See also
References
- ^ a b "Placenames Database of Ireland". Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ "Area Profile of Greysteel - Based on 2001 Census". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Greysteel Settlement Designation". Planning Service - Draft Northern Area Plan 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Placenames NI: Gresteel Beg". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "Greysteel". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
