The village is one of the oldest in the district. The village is referred to as Claudy[4] in Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, but early and later works attribute the name, Clady,[5][6] distinguishing it from Claudy in County Londonderry.
Next to the village is an important passage over the River Finn, one of the "passes", which controlled the access to Derry from the south and east in the times when the ferry at Drry was the only means to cross the River Foyle. Originally, the passage at Clady was provided by a ford, known as the Cladyford. Soon a bridge was built, which existed already in the 17th century. According to Lewis in 1840, a "handsome bridge of seven arches" spanned the river near the village.[7]
This passage over the Finn was contested during the Williamite War on 15 April 1689 when Jacobite cavalry under Richard Hamilton and the Duke of Berwick forced the passage.[8] Some days later James II crossed the Finn at this place, proceeded to Derry and summoned the city to surrender. With these events started the Siege of Derry.
For more information see The Troubles in Clady (Tyrone), which includes a list of incidents in Clady during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
Demography
19th century population
The population of the village decreased during the 19th century:[10][11]
Year
1841
1851
1861
1871
1881
1891
Population
219
155
170
119
121
109
Houses
44
35
33
33
28
31
The population of the townland increased overall during the 19th century:[12][13]
Year
1841
1851
1861
1871
1881
1891
Population
50
12
61
49
38
62
Houses
10
2
13
9
12
13
In 1891, the town of Clady, which stands in the townlands of Clady and Donnygowen, had an estimated area of 10 acres.[14]
2011 Census
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 538 people living in Clady,[2] of which:
2.2% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion and 97.6% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion;
^Lewis 1840, p. 338, line 31: "CLAUDY, a village in the parish of URNEY, barony of Strabane, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, three miles (S.S.W.) of Strabane;"
^Berwick, James Fitzjames; Hooke, L. J. (Luke Joseph); Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat; Adams, John; John Adams Library (Boston Public Library) MB (BRL) (1778). Mémoires du maréchal de Berwick. John Adams Library at the Boston Public Library. A Paris : Chez Moutard ...
^Lewis 1840, p. 338, line 38: "Close to the village is a handsome bridge of seven arches over the Finn, connecting Claudy with the county of Donegal."
^FitzJames 1778, p. 47: "De là nous marchâmes, le 15 Avril, au pont de Clady, sur la rivière de Strabane, dont les Rebelles, au nombre de dix mille, vouloient défendre le passage"
^Lawlor, Pearse. The Outrages: The IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary in the Border Campaign. Mercier Press, 2011. pp.202-203
