The name Bellaghy (Baelleaghe) means "mouth of the marsh" or "wet place"
Like many localities around Ireland, Bellaghy's history stretches much further back than written record. Church Island in Lough Beg reveals some hint of the Vikings and the Early Christian period around beginnings of Irish History. Early man fed well on salmon, eels and even wild boar.
The quantity and quality of archaeological finds from this area is astonishing. Hundreds of thousands of fine Mesolithic flints, dozens of Neolithic flints and axes, many fine Late Bronze Age and Iron Age weapons, such as swords and shields, tools, cauldrons and horse bits showing superb, sophisticated ornament, have been found in and around the Lough Neagh, Newferry and Lower Bann area.
The 17th century Bawn at Bellaghy is the best restored example to be found anywhere in Northern Ireland. The original was virtually destroyed in the 1641 rebellion when most of Bellaghy was burnt to the ground. Locally it is still referred to as "the castle" and it is located in Castle Street. Bellaghy Bawn was opened to the public in 1996 and features exhibitions on local natural history and history, and on poetry by local Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney and other contemporary Irish writers.