What exactly is the Gap of the North and why does it matter? There has always been some confusion about its exact location. Older people use the term to refer to the deep glen on the Ballynamadda Road from Dromintee, just south of the junction with the Tievecrom Road, but its proper name is Gleann […]
Words are funny things, they can change meaning in strange ways over the centuries. ‘Tory’ is originally an Irish word and one that is closely associated with South Armagh. It comes from ‘tóraigh’, to pursue – a person who is ‘tóraighthe’ was, we might say, on the run. It was first used to describe the groups who kept […]
When Moyra Castle was built in 1601, the townlands of Dromintee, Carrickbroad, Faughilotra, Faughiletra and Edenappa ( or Dromentey, Carrickbradagh, Oghillstraght, Foughilletra and Edenknappagh as they were called in a document of the time) were seized and the rental income from the land set aside for the upkeep and garrisoning of ‘Maighre’ castle. Eventually as military needs declined the […]
Everything begins with townlands, the core geogpraphical unit for tracing everything historical because they predate English rule but were continued through the ‘shiring’, the establishment of the counties, and the Plantation of Ulster. If you know what townland your people were in a hundred years ago you can start with the 1911 census. But as […]
We want help in interpreting the landscape of the area and the way in which people have altered it over the centuries. Do you know any stories or facts about natural or man-made features or places or things that happened around here? Do you know – or would anyone belonging to you know – any […]
On this page we will gather up what stories we can about the building of the railway through the parish. Here is what Wikipedia has (under entry for Jonesborough): ……. “The Ulster Dublin and Drogheda main line company opened a double track in 1850, which extended from Dundalk to a point north of Adavoyle station. […]
The first engagement between the forces of King James II and William of Orange took place in Carrickarnon near the junction with the Edentubber Road on Sunday 22nd June 1690 King William III landed at Carrickfergus on 14th June 1690, bringing 16,000 men to join the 20,000 already in the field. His march south […]
The battle of Moyra Pass took place over a number of days in early October 1600, but there was in fact a standoff lasting from mid-September when Lord Mountjoy first established his camp at Faughart, until he gave up and pulled back to Dundalk on 9th October. On 13th October for reasons which are still […]
Built in c.1790, this substantial Georgian Country House built was the prominent residence of Baron Mc Clelland on what was known as the “linen lease”. Such leases were established under the old Irish Parliament which gave authority to “limited owners” to grant perpetuity leases in order to encourage the linen industry (instead of a fixed […]
1798 in South Armagh See the excellent account by Kevin (Ned) Murphy from the 1989 Journal of The Creggan Local History Society http://creggan1.tripod.com/Creggan3e.htm Murder in Foughiletra In 1836 tithe collector James Morris was taken from his house in Foughiletra (anybody know where it was?) by up to a dozen men, stabbed and beaten to death […]