Castledawson
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Castledawson is a focal point for the Moyola Angling Assocaiation, with excellent water for fly-fishermen and bait-rod anglers alike.
Originally, the village was known as "Dawson's Bridge" and had the distinction of having (at one time) the largest single span stone bridge in Ireland.
The village was named after its 'castle' (actually a large manor house) built by Joshua Dawson in 1713. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland and founded the village in 1710. The Dawson estate, Shanemullagh, shares its name with the original townland name. The Dawson family also founded Christ Church, on the edge of that estate, in the early 1700s.
Famous residents have included Lord Moyola, a direct descendant of the Dawsons, who was the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1971. The poet Seamus Heaney, who was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature, was born at a farm near Castledawson in 1939, although was brought up in the nearby village of Bellaghy.
Novelist Anne Dunlop was born and grew up near Castledawson.
American military history author, John McCann, was born and raised in the town. His book Passing Through: The 82nd Airborne Division In Northern Ireland 1943-44 chronicles the town's WWII past.
Marian Donnelly former President of The Workers' Party was born in Castledawson in 1938.
Castledawson was the hub of the Mid-Ulster shirt-making industry, with its prime location midway between Belfast and Derry being crucial. The village skyline was dominated by two impressive disused red brick chimneys - one (demolished 2005) previously part of a Nestle's chocolate factory (closed since the 1970s).
The village has a small business park called Moyola Industrial Estate.
Castledawson now has a small 12 bedroom hotel - The Inn at Castledawson - in the 200 year old Castledawson House.
The village is also home to the award-winning Ditty's Home Bakery - which successfully markets its products across the United Kingdom.
