Maghera
![](/Images/godic/202501/25/Maghera_Town_Centre1327.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/25/Northern_Ireland_location_map.svg1327.png")
![Maghera Church of Ireland](/Images/godic/202501/25/Maghera_Church_of_Ireland_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5617741327.jpg")
![The old St Lurach's Church](/Images/godic/202501/25/Maghera_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2223281327.jpg")
Maghera (pronounced /ˌmɑːhəˈrɑː/ MAH-hə-RAH, from Irish:Machaire Rátha, meaning "plain of the ringfort") is a town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its population was 2,876 in 1991 and had risen to 23,711 in the 2001 Census. It is a commercial and educational hub for the surrounding villages of Swatragh, Tobermore, Upperlands, Gulladuff and Knockcloghrim. It is located in the civil parish of Maghera, which it was named after, and is part of the former barony of Loughinsholin.