The village is one of the oldest in the district. The village is referred to as Claudy in
Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, but early and later works attribute the name, Clady, 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. 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. 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. In February 1922, during the
Irish War of Independence, an
Ulster Special Constabulary platoon attempting to enter Clady were forced to withdraw two nights in a row after coming under fire from the
Irish Republican Army. One USC officer was killed in the clashes.
The Troubles 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==