Greysteel
Greysteel
| |
|---|---|
 Clooney Road, on the A2 | |
  Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,418 [1] |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDONDERRY |
| Postcode district | BT47 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| Police | Northern Ireland |
| Fire | Northern Ireland |
| Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Greysteel or Gresteel[2] 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. In the 2021 Census it had a population of 1,418 people.[1] 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)",[3] and the Placenames Database of Ireland gives this as the Irish name of the village.[2] An older English name for the area was "Glasteele".[3]
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.
- 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.[4]
Transport
The village is adequately served in terms of public transport and City of Derry Airport is located 4 km to the west.[5]
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.[6] 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 "Greysteel in Causeway Coast and Glens (Northern Ireland)". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Placenames Database of Ireland". Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Greysteel Settlement Designation". Planning Service - Draft Northern Area Plan 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ^ "Area Profile of Greysteel - Based on 2001 Census". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
