Kilrea (/kɪlˈreɪ/ kil-RAY, from Irish Cill Ria, meaning 'church on the hill')[1][2] is a village, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

There is a tradition that St Patrick visited the area during the fifth century, a story repeated recently in the book 'The Fairy Thorn' produced by Kilrea local historians.

During the Plantation of Ulster Kilrea and the surrounding townlands were granted to the Worshipful Company of Mercers by King James I for settlement.

Five were killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and two by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).

All the IRA's victims were current or former members of the security forces, with two belonging to the Royal Ulster Constabulary, one a current and one a former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment, and one belonging to the British Territorial Army.

Kilrea is classified as a village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e., with a population between 1,000 and 2,499 people).