placenamesMagilligan
Aird Mhic Giollagáin
At Magilligan Point, an early nineteenth-century tower records the defence of the sea entrance to Lough Foyle.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Aird Mhic Giollagáin · Irish · main form · validated name
- Magilligan · English · main form
Place & story
Defending the narrows
Magilligan’s Martello tower was built in 1812 during preparations against Napoleonic invasion. Together with the tower opposite at Greencastle in Donegal, it guarded the entrance to Lough Foyle. The circular dressed-stone structure is ten metres high and twelve metres across, narrowing towards its top. A retractable ladder gave access to the first-floor entrance, which was protected from above by a projecting stone defence. [2]
The interior separated storage from living space: powder, ammunition and a water cistern occupied the ground floor, with residential accommodation above. On the roof, a 24-pounder cannon turned on a central pivot and circular rail. A fireplace within the upper wall allowed ammunition to be heated before firing at wooden ships. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Magilligan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Magilligan Martello Tower · Department for Communities, Historic Environment Division
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2014-05-09. How this page was prepared.