The town dates back at least to the 6th century to the monastery founded by St. Lurach whose family were possibly evangelised by St. Patrick. The Annals of Ulster say that the seat of the Cenél nEoghain was at Ráth Luraig in Maghera. The church in Maghera is named after St Lurach. The town became a settlement for Scottish settlers in the 17th century who came into conflict with the indigenous residents. For example, on 12 July 1830, Orange Order marches led to clashes between Orangemen and Ribbonmen in Maghera and Castledawson. Several Catholic homes were then burnt by Protestants following these clashes.
The Troubles
Maghera suffered significant violence during the Troubles. In total, 14 people were killed, half of them members of the security forces and a further two as a result of family membership of the Ulster Defence Regiment. The Provisional Irish Republican Army were responsible for ten of the deaths.
Governance
The town is part of the Mid-Ulster District Council. It is located within the Carntogher district electoral area which contains the areas Lower Glenshane, Swatragh, Tamlaght O'Crilly, Valley and Maghera. In the 2015 district elections, Carntogher DLE elected three Sinn Féin, one SDLP and one DUP representatives to the council.
Places of interest
Notable buildings in Maghera include St Lurach's Church, which was founded in the year 500AD, originally as a monastery. The town of Maghera grew up around this church. The importance of the monastery was such that Maghera was a bishop's seat in the 12th and 13th centuries. However, the Church was raided by the Vikings and fell into disrepair and is now maintained by the Environmental Heritage Service. Within the ruins, as an inset to the west wall is a sculpture of the crucifixion, which is thought to date from the 10th century – making it one of the earliest surviving representations of the crucifixion in Ireland. St Lurach is also the saint of the town. The oldest linen mill in Ireland, the William Clark & Sons company founded in 1736, is in the town.
Churches
In St Patrick's Roman Catholic church, there is a headstone remembering the large number of people who died in the parish during the Famine. In the local Church of Ireland parish of St. Lurach's there is a memorial dedicated to the memory of the local men and women who died in both world wars. The Presbyterian church has a brass plaque in memory of those who served during the First World War. Both Protestant churches have memorials to local victims on IRA violence. The Church of Ireland has memorials to Alan Clark and John Proctor murdered by the IRA. The Presbyterian church has a memorial window to UDR and RUC members murdered by the IRA.
Transport
opened on 18 December 1880, shut for passenger traffic on 28 August 1950 and shut altogether on 1 October 1959. on the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
Maghera High School, which had an intake mainly from the local Protestant population, was shut in 2009 after a lengthy campaign by many locals to save it. Most of the remaining pupils were transferred to nearby Magherafelt High School.
