Castledawson is a town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is for the most part inside the townland of Shanemullagh, around 4 miles from the north-western shore of Lough Neagh, and close to the market town of Magherafelt. At the 2011 Census it had a populace of 3,293. The town sits on the River Moyola and was initially called "Dawson's Bridge". The extension that crossed the stream here was previously the biggest single range stone scaffold in Ireland.
The town was named after its 'manor' worked by Joshua Dawson in 1713. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland and established the town in 1710. The Dawson domain, Shanemullagh, shares its name with the first townland name. The Dawson family likewise established Christ Church, on the edge of that home, in the mid eighteenth century. On 12 July 1830, Orange Institution marches prompted showdowns among Orangemen and Ribbonmen in Maghera and Castledawson.
A few Catholic homes were then scorched by Protestants following these conflicts On 29 June 1912, a vast gathering of Ancient Order of Hibernians individuals, purportedly alcoholic in the wake of having held a motorcade, conflicted with a gathering of Presbyterian Sunday School youngsters in Castledawson, who were coming back from their yearly journey, in what ended up known as the Castledawson Incident.
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