Broighter (Irish: Brú Íochtair, meaning 'lower fort')[1] is a townland in west County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.[2] It lies 4.4 miles (7 km) northwest of Limavady and 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of Ballykelly.[3] Broighter is part of Causeway Coast and Glens district.

Broighter
Irish: Brú Íochtair
Irish transcription(s)
 • Derivation:Brú Íochtair
 • Meaning:"lower fort"
Broighter is located in Northern Ireland
Broighter
Broighter
Broighter shown within Northern Ireland
Broighter is located in the United Kingdom
Broighter
Broighter
Broighter (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates: 55°04′16″N 6°59′18″W / 55.07122°N 6.98839°W / 55.07122; -6.98839
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryNorthern Ireland
CountyLondonderry
BaronyKeenaght
Civil parishTamlaght Finlagan
Government
 • CouncilCauseway Coast and Glens
Area
 • Total152 acres (62 ha)

The townland covers 152 acres (0.62 km2)[4] and in the 1911 census of Ireland it had six occupied houses and 20 inhabitants (9 males and 11 females).[5]

Broighter Hoard

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The Broighter Hoard was discovered in 1896 by two farm labourers, Tomas Nicholl and James Morrow, who were hard at work double ploughing a field for local farmer Joseph L Gibson. The hoard includes a 7-inch-long (18 cm) gold boat, a gold torc and bowl and some other jewellery.[6] A design from the hoard has been used as an image on the 1996 issue of the Northern Ireland British one-pound coins[7] and the gold ship featured in a design on the last Irish one-pound coins.[8] The Broighter Collar and Broighter Ship also featured on definitive postage stamps of Ireland from 1990 to 1995. The National Museum of Ireland, who now hold the hoard, describe the torc as the "finest example of Irish La Tène goldworking".[9] Replicas of the collection are kept at the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

Transport

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Broighter railway station was opened by the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway on 29 December 1852, but closed on 3 July 1950.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Brú Íochtair/Broighter". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Broighter Townland, Co. Londonderry". townlands.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  3. ^ "AA Route Planner". Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  4. ^ "The IreAtlas Townland Data Base". Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Houses in Broighter (Myroe, Londonderry)". Census of Ireland 1911. National Archives of Ireland. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  6. ^ Macalister, Robert Alexander Stewart (1977). The archaeology of Ireland. New York: Arno Press. p. 235. ISBN 0-405-09132-X. OCLC 3711841.
  7. ^ 1996 Silver Piedfort £1 - Northern Irish Celtic Cross Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Royal Mint, accessed 28 July 2010
  8. ^ "Millennium Pound - Silver Piedfort Proof". irishcoinage.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  9. ^ The Broighter Hoard Archived 19 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, National Museum of Ireland, accessed July 2010
  10. ^ "Broighter station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 29 December 2018.