placenamesToomebridge
Droichead Thuama
Toomebridge stands at the connection between Lough Neagh and the Lower Bann navigation.
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
- Droichead Thuama · Irish · main form · validated name
- Toomebridge · English · main form
Place & story
Managing the waterway
Sluices at Toomebridge help regulate the level of Lough Neagh and the flow of the Lower Bann. The navigation runs north from here towards Coleraine through a series of locks. Toome’s position at the head of this route gives its canal, lock and riverside structures a role in both travel and water management. [2]
A cottage finds a new purpose
The former lock keeper’s home was renovated in August 2017 as a heritage centre and tea room overlooking the Bann. The cottage subsequently became a venue for the Lough Neagh Artisans Market. Its new use brought food producers, craftspeople and visitors to a building originally associated with the everyday work of operating the navigation. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Antrim
- Barony
- Toome Upper
- Civil parish
- Duneane
- Coordinates
- 54.56853, -6.46916 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 135861 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Toomebridge. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Lower Bann Navigation Boating Information · Waterways Ireland
- Lough Neagh Artisans Market, 22 May 2022 · Food NI
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-05-26. How this page was prepared.