Kilcronaghan
Encyclopedia
Kilcronaghan is a civil parish in County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
. Containing one major settlement, Tobermore
, and lying on the descending slope of Slieve Gallion
, Kilcronaghan is bordered by the civil parishes of Ballynascreen, Desertmartin, Maghera
, and Termoneeny. It lies within the former barony of Loughinsholin and is situated in Magherafelt District Council
. As an ecclesiastical parish it lies within the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
.
Artefacts of human habitation in the Kilcronaghan area have been traced as far back as 1800-1000 BC. The history of the parish itself can be traced as far back as the 6th century when St. Crunathan founded the church from which it takes its name. It has been the location of massacres and executions, with the River Moyola which flows through the parish forming the border between the ancient kingdoms of Ui Tuirtri and Fir Li.
.
Prominent hills in Kilcronaghan parish are (townland in brackets); Brackaghlislea (in Brackaghlislea), 465 feet (141.7 m) high; Mormeal (in Mormeal), 438 feet (133.5 m) high; Bonfire Hill (in Tullyroan), 377 feet (114.9 m) high; Donnelly's Hill (in Gortahurk), 356 feet (108.5 m) high; Drumbally (in Coolsaragh), 313 feet (95.4 m) high; Calmore Hill (in Calmore), 268 feet (81.7 m) high; Killynumber Hill (in Killynumber), 238 feet (72.5 m) high; Todd Hill (in Gortamney), 201 feet (61.3 m) high; and Fortwilliam (in Tobermore), 200 feet (61 m) high.
The River Moyola flows through the parish's northern extremity along with a few small rivulets, and forms the boundary between Kilcronaghan and the parish of Ballinascreen. There were formerly 16 small lakes in the parish, residing largely in the townlands of Brackaghlislea, Tullyroan, Gortahurk, and Mormeal. A small lough named as Lough Aber lies in Ballinderry townland, whilst a smaller lough lies in Killytoney.
The natural wood of the parish of Kilcronaghan consists of oak, ash, birch, alder, hazel and holly with thorns. The vast majority of the woodland has been deforested though small woods lie in Mormeal and Killytoney, whilst Nutgrove Wood lies in the townlands of Gortahurk and Tullyroan.
A large oak called the Royal Oak grew near Calmore Castle in Tobermore. Until it was destroyed in a heavy storm, the Royal Oak was said to have being so large that horsemen on horseback could not touch one another with their whips across it. From this vague description, it is conjectured that the Royal Oak was about 10 feet (3 m) in diameter or 30 feet (9.1 m) in circumference. Another oak tree that once grew near Tobermore was so tall and straight that it was known as the "Fishing Rod". Tradition is that the whole of the townlands were once covered with magnificent oak trees.
Nothing but oak is found in the small bog of Coolsaragh. The flow bog of Tullyroan and Gortahurk has all been cut. Ballynahone Bog lies in the townlands of Ballynahone More and Ballynahone Beg, and is the second largest lowland raised bog in Northern Ireland and has been declared a Special Area of Conservation.
Unlike many other limestone exposures which are usually pale in colour, the exposures at Drumbally Hill are of a red-brown colour. This colouration signifies that the rock had been altered since it was originally deposited, most likely by groundwater.
The limestone rock at Drumbally Hill was formed as a lime mud onn the floor of a shallow, tropical sea. Its proximity to a shoreline resulted in quartz sant grains and pebbles becoming embedded into the mud leaving a large amount than what is usual for the majority of limestone.
From the early Celtic period, c. 500 BC to the arrival of the Normans at the end of the 12th century, date the settlement sites that where erroneously recorded by the surveyors of the 1800s as forts or Dane forts, with at least 20 such 'forts' known in the parish (listed below). They were mostly circular enclosed farmsteads, containing several thatched wooden huts.
The parish of Kilcronaghan receives its first mention in history in the papal taxation of 1302-1306, under the name Kellcruchnathan, where it was a minor benefice
valued at only 6s. 8d. Despite this low valuation it consisted of some of the richest lands in the River Moyola valley.
Prior to the Plantation of Ulster
, the termon or herenagh lands of the parish consisted of the townlands of; Ballintrolla, Derrekerdan, Dirrygrinagh, and Kellynahawla. With the plantation these townlands passed into hands of the Bishop of Derry, however from the mid-17th century their names had become Granny
, Mormeal
, Tamnyaskey
, and Tullyroan. It is impossible however to determine or match which townland corresponds to which of the older names.
The Plantation of Ulster also saw the townlands of the parish divided with most going to the Drapers company
. The Vintners company
received lands in the north and east of the parish, with the church also receiving several. The two townlands of Tobermore
and Grenan (an obsolete townland) were granted as freeholds of William Rowley.
, founded by the Three Collas from their conquests in Ulster. One of the under-kingdoms of Airgialla was Ui Tuirtri, named after Fiachu Tuirtri, son of Colla Uais
(one of the Three Collas), which stretched from the River Blackwater south of Dungannon
to the River Bior (meaning water, modern day Moyola River), located half a mile north of Tobermore.
The Ó Floinn sept (O'Lynn) would come to prominence in Ui Tuirtri, with their power-base situated on a crannog outside the neighbouring village of Desertmartin
. The lake this crannog lay in became known as Lough Insholin and is preserved as the name of the barony of Loughinsholin of which Kilcronaghan is part of. Shane More O'Hagan, once owner of Calmore Castle, would later marry a lady of these O'Lynn's and take up residence in their seat in Lough Insholin.
With the expansion of the Cenél nEógain
into Airgialla, the territory of Ui Tuirtri west of the river Bann
and with it the Kilcronaghan area eventually passed into the overlordship of Tir Eóghain. By the 1350s, the Clandeboye O'Neills had stepped into the power-vacuum left by the collapse of the Earldom of Ulster, and expanded to encompass all of Ui Tuirtri.
The last recorded lord of Loughinsholin was Brian Carrach O'Neill from a branch of the Clandeboye O'Neills. Brian Carrach's residence along the border of the parishes of Kilcronaghan and Ballynascreen became known as Dún Tí Bhriain (preserved as the townland of Duntibryan). His daughter Anne, was the second wife of last prince of Clandeboye, Shane MacBryan O'Neill of Edenduffcarrick, later known as Shane's Castle
, Antrim. Brian Carrach died in 1586.
At one stage the parishes of Ballynascreen, Kilcronaghan, and Desertmartin formed an ancient district known as Glenconkeyne
. In 1821, John MacCloskey in his Statistical Reports of Six Derry Parishes, states Tobermore as being the capital settlement of Glenconkeyne.
The Flight of the Earls
in 1607 saw the confiscation of the earls forfeited lands, which were then granted to the City of London Corporation and its livery companies
to undertake its development as part of the Plantation of Ulster
. In 1613, the barony of Loughinsholin, which was part of County Tyrone, was combined with County Coleraine
and several environs to become County Londonderry.
Firstly it is claimed that people in the Kilcronaghan and Ballinascreen parish areas once believed in the 'occult virtues' of the Ballinascreen Bell where those who swore upon it became cursed. There are two recorded stories of people swearing on the bell and misfortune occurring to them afterward:
The second superstition, which was supposedly held by on the large by the Roman Catholics of the country, was that an oath taken on the Bible was not binding as if taken on their "own Manual or Prayer Book".
The third superstition was the blinking of cows. This superstition held that you mustn't "mix milk of one quarter with that of another quarter, lest their cows should be blinked, as it is believed that mixing the milk is the reason of so many cows being blinked". Not even a single drop of the last quarter of milk would be mixed with that of another, in either sweet or butter milk. What exactly the blinking of cows was is not detailed.
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Records from the church show payments by the church's herenach in 1397 of 12s and in 1609 of 13s4d. A herenach was a person or family expected to maintain the church lands and support the bishop and clerics within proceeds from the land.
The church was rebuilt in the 13th century, incorporating several Norman styles, and by 1622 was described as being ruinous. In 1693, it is recorded that there were only eight families in the parish "and of these not above twelve or thirteen comfortable persons". During the next century ownership would transfer from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Ireland, and by 1768 it was back in good repair, with the parish containing 126 Protestant families of 510 persons by 1831.
In 1806, the ancient parish church was again rebuilt but on a smaller scale, incorporating several of its older 13th century features such as a fine Norman niche, capital, modern window jambs, the western gable, and the northern wall, with the rest being pulled down. Above the door into the church was carved - "Rebuilt 1806 Rev William Bryan Rector - James Stevenson Esq. and Thomas Jackson - churchwardens - Leverty builder", which reads as the church rector at the time being Rev William Bryan, the church wardens being James Stevenson Esq. and Thomas Jackson, with the building having been rebuilt by Laverty's. A ledge used for hanging people, which had been part of the church for centuries was also built into the church.
During the overhauling of the ancient parish church, several raised tombs and ancient graves standing in the interior were disturbed, with several skulls raised out, all with silk caps upon them, none of which could be removed due to the passage of time. Along with this was discovered in the graves a number of gold rings and other jewels supposed to have been worn by nuns and buried with their remains in the body of the church. Also found in one of the graves was an ancient book that had become "quite defaced by time and damp...".
Ironically by 1823, only 17 years after being rebuilt to the parishes needs, the old church no longer met the needs of the growing population of Tobermore and the parish, and was declared inadequate in the accommodation of the congregation. So on Monday 27 February 1854, it was agreed to build a new parish church on a new site.
By 1855, the Rev Marcus McCausland offered a site in the townland of Gortree (now part of Moneyshanere), which was accepted and on 13 April 1858, the new church was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Right Reverend William Higgin. The Coleraine Chronicle states that the church "is built of grey stone, in the Gothic style of architecture, and reflects great credit on the architect, Mr W Mullan, and his efficient workmen."
The present Kilcronaghan Parish church celebrated its 150th anniversary on 13 April 2008.
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Containing one major settlement, Tobermore
Tobermore
Tobermore is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is located two and a half miles south of Maghera and five miles west of Magherafelt. Tobermore lies within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan and is part of Magherafelt District Council...
, and lying on the descending slope of Slieve Gallion
Slieve Gallion
Slieve Gallion is a mountain in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. By road, it is from Moneymore, from Cookstown, and from Magherafelt. It is the eastern limit of the Sperrin Mountains range...
, Kilcronaghan is bordered by the civil parishes of Ballynascreen, Desertmartin, Maghera
Maghera (parish)
Maghera is a parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is bordered by the parishes of Ballynascreen, Ballyscullion, Desertmartin, Dungiven, Kilcronaghan, Killelagh, Magherafelt, Tamlaght O'Crilly, and Termoneeny...
, and Termoneeny. It lies within the former barony of Loughinsholin and is situated in Magherafelt District Council
Magherafelt District Council
Magherafelt District Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Council headquarters are in Magherafelt. The Council area stretches from Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the east and into the Sperrin Mountains in the west and is divided by the Moyola River. It covers...
. As an ecclesiastical parish it lies within the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a diocese of the Church of Ireland located in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh...
.
Artefacts of human habitation in the Kilcronaghan area have been traced as far back as 1800-1000 BC. The history of the parish itself can be traced as far back as the 6th century when St. Crunathan founded the church from which it takes its name. It has been the location of massacres and executions, with the River Moyola which flows through the parish forming the border between the ancient kingdoms of Ui Tuirtri and Fir Li.
Topography
The parish of Kilcronaghan lies on the descending slope of Slieve Gallion , with its highest point lying in the townland of Gortahurk, 1246 feet (379.8 m) above sea level. From here it slopes downwards to low gravelly hills, which predominate in the parish. This series of hills become more broken and irregular as they approach the River MoyolaRiver Moyola
The River Moyola or Moyola River stretches for approximately 27 miles from the Sperrin Mountains to Lough Neagh. The Moyola starts a small river for the first few miles of its length and proceeds to expand to a medium sized river and then to a large river for its last couple of miles before...
.
Prominent hills in Kilcronaghan parish are (townland in brackets); Brackaghlislea (in Brackaghlislea), 465 feet (141.7 m) high; Mormeal (in Mormeal), 438 feet (133.5 m) high; Bonfire Hill (in Tullyroan), 377 feet (114.9 m) high; Donnelly's Hill (in Gortahurk), 356 feet (108.5 m) high; Drumbally (in Coolsaragh), 313 feet (95.4 m) high; Calmore Hill (in Calmore), 268 feet (81.7 m) high; Killynumber Hill (in Killynumber), 238 feet (72.5 m) high; Todd Hill (in Gortamney), 201 feet (61.3 m) high; and Fortwilliam (in Tobermore), 200 feet (61 m) high.
The River Moyola flows through the parish's northern extremity along with a few small rivulets, and forms the boundary between Kilcronaghan and the parish of Ballinascreen. There were formerly 16 small lakes in the parish, residing largely in the townlands of Brackaghlislea, Tullyroan, Gortahurk, and Mormeal. A small lough named as Lough Aber lies in Ballinderry townland, whilst a smaller lough lies in Killytoney.
The natural wood of the parish of Kilcronaghan consists of oak, ash, birch, alder, hazel and holly with thorns. The vast majority of the woodland has been deforested though small woods lie in Mormeal and Killytoney, whilst Nutgrove Wood lies in the townlands of Gortahurk and Tullyroan.
A large oak called the Royal Oak grew near Calmore Castle in Tobermore. Until it was destroyed in a heavy storm, the Royal Oak was said to have being so large that horsemen on horseback could not touch one another with their whips across it. From this vague description, it is conjectured that the Royal Oak was about 10 feet (3 m) in diameter or 30 feet (9.1 m) in circumference. Another oak tree that once grew near Tobermore was so tall and straight that it was known as the "Fishing Rod". Tradition is that the whole of the townlands were once covered with magnificent oak trees.
Nothing but oak is found in the small bog of Coolsaragh. The flow bog of Tullyroan and Gortahurk has all been cut. Ballynahone Bog lies in the townlands of Ballynahone More and Ballynahone Beg, and is the second largest lowland raised bog in Northern Ireland and has been declared a Special Area of Conservation.
Drumbally Hill
Drumbally Hill, consisting of 0.12 hectares was declared on 24 September 2010 to be an "Area of Special Scientific Interest" (ASSI). It provides access to an important exposure of limestone, dating from the Carboniferous period around 320 million years ago. This dating has been backed up with the discovery of fossil shell fish and crinoud fragments that date from the period. The exposure was left from a large quarry that once existed on the site.Unlike many other limestone exposures which are usually pale in colour, the exposures at Drumbally Hill are of a red-brown colour. This colouration signifies that the rock had been altered since it was originally deposited, most likely by groundwater.
The limestone rock at Drumbally Hill was formed as a lime mud onn the floor of a shallow, tropical sea. Its proximity to a shoreline resulted in quartz sant grains and pebbles becoming embedded into the mud leaving a large amount than what is usual for the majority of limestone.
History
People have inhabited the Kilcronaghan area since prehistoric times, with minor artifacts found in Kilcronaghan and the neighbouring parishes of Desertmartin and Ballinascreen dating as far back as 1800-1000 BC.From the early Celtic period, c. 500 BC to the arrival of the Normans at the end of the 12th century, date the settlement sites that where erroneously recorded by the surveyors of the 1800s as forts or Dane forts, with at least 20 such 'forts' known in the parish (listed below). They were mostly circular enclosed farmsteads, containing several thatched wooden huts.
The parish of Kilcronaghan receives its first mention in history in the papal taxation of 1302-1306, under the name Kellcruchnathan, where it was a minor benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
valued at only 6s. 8d. Despite this low valuation it consisted of some of the richest lands in the River Moyola valley.
Prior to the Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
, the termon or herenagh lands of the parish consisted of the townlands of; Ballintrolla, Derrekerdan, Dirrygrinagh, and Kellynahawla. With the plantation these townlands passed into hands of the Bishop of Derry, however from the mid-17th century their names had become Granny
Granny (townland)
Granny is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the west of the parish on the boundary of the civil parish of Ballynascreen, and is bounded by the townlands of; Calmore, Duntribryan, Moneyshanere, Mormeal, and Tamnaskey...
, Mormeal
Mormeal
Mormeal is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the west of the parish with the Altagoan river to its west forming the parish boundary with Ballynascreen. It is bounded by the townlands of: Brackaghlislea, Drumard, Duntibryan,...
, Tamnyaskey
Tamnyaskey
Tamnyaskey is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the west of the parish, and is bounded by the townlands of; Brackaghlislea, Calmore, Granny, Mormeal, and Tullyroan...
, and Tullyroan. It is impossible however to determine or match which townland corresponds to which of the older names.
The Plantation of Ulster also saw the townlands of the parish divided with most going to the Drapers company
Worshipful Company of Drapers
The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London; it has the formal name of The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London but is more usually known...
. The Vintners company
Worshipful Company of Vintners
The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, England.- History and origins :It probably existed as early as the twelfth century, and it received a Royal Charter in 1364. Due to the Royal Charter, the Company gained a monopoly over wine imports from Gascony...
received lands in the north and east of the parish, with the church also receiving several. The two townlands of Tobermore
Tobermore (townland)
Tobermore is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the north-east of the parish, and is bounded by the townlands of; Ballynahone Beg, Calmore, Clooney, Drumballyhagan Clark, Moneyshanere, and Moyesset...
and Grenan (an obsolete townland) were granted as freeholds of William Rowley.
Territorial history
The area of land that forms Kilcronaghan parish has changed control several times throughout history. During the first millennium, it was part of the Cruithin over-kingdom of Ulaidh. It would then become part of the over-kingdom of AirgiallaAirgíalla
Airgíalla or Airgialla was the name of an Irish federation and Irish kingdom which first formed around the 7th century...
, founded by the Three Collas from their conquests in Ulster. One of the under-kingdoms of Airgialla was Ui Tuirtri, named after Fiachu Tuirtri, son of Colla Uais
Colla Uais
Colla Uais , son of Eochaid Doimlén, son of Cairbre Lifechair, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His given name was Cairell...
(one of the Three Collas), which stretched from the River Blackwater south of Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
to the River Bior (meaning water, modern day Moyola River), located half a mile north of Tobermore.
The Ó Floinn sept (O'Lynn) would come to prominence in Ui Tuirtri, with their power-base situated on a crannog outside the neighbouring village of Desertmartin
Desertmartin
Desertmartin is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is four miles from Magherafelt, at the foot of Slieve Gallion. In the 2001 Census Desertmartin greater area had a population of 1,276. It had a population of 2257 in 1837 and 3101 in 1910. It lies within Desertmartin...
. The lake this crannog lay in became known as Lough Insholin and is preserved as the name of the barony of Loughinsholin of which Kilcronaghan is part of. Shane More O'Hagan, once owner of Calmore Castle, would later marry a lady of these O'Lynn's and take up residence in their seat in Lough Insholin.
With the expansion of the Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEóġain is the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Eógan mac Néill , son of Niall Noígiallach who founded the kingdom of Tír Eoghain in the 5th century...
into Airgialla, the territory of Ui Tuirtri west of the river Bann
River Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
and with it the Kilcronaghan area eventually passed into the overlordship of Tir Eóghain. By the 1350s, the Clandeboye O'Neills had stepped into the power-vacuum left by the collapse of the Earldom of Ulster, and expanded to encompass all of Ui Tuirtri.
The last recorded lord of Loughinsholin was Brian Carrach O'Neill from a branch of the Clandeboye O'Neills. Brian Carrach's residence along the border of the parishes of Kilcronaghan and Ballynascreen became known as Dún Tí Bhriain (preserved as the townland of Duntibryan). His daughter Anne, was the second wife of last prince of Clandeboye, Shane MacBryan O'Neill of Edenduffcarrick, later known as Shane's Castle
Shane's Castle
Shane's Castle is a ruined castle near Randalstown in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The castle is on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh. Built in 1345 by a member of the O'Neill dynasty, it was originally called Eden-duff-carrick...
, Antrim. Brian Carrach died in 1586.
At one stage the parishes of Ballynascreen, Kilcronaghan, and Desertmartin formed an ancient district known as Glenconkeyne
Glenconkeyne
Glenconkeyne is an ancient Irish district in what is now southern County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Glenconkeyne formed the western portion of the former barony of Loughinsholin, with the ancient districts of Clandonnell, Killetra, and Tomlagh comprising the rest...
. In 1821, John MacCloskey in his Statistical Reports of Six Derry Parishes, states Tobermore as being the capital settlement of Glenconkeyne.
The Flight of the Earls
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...
in 1607 saw the confiscation of the earls forfeited lands, which were then granted to the City of London Corporation and its livery companies
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
to undertake its development as part of the Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
. In 1613, the barony of Loughinsholin, which was part of County Tyrone, was combined with County Coleraine
County Coleraine
County Coleraine, called County of Colerain in the earliest documents was one of the counties of Ireland from 1585 to 1613. It was named after its intended county town, Coleraine...
and several environs to become County Londonderry.
Drumbally Massacre
Drumbally Fort is located on Drumbally Hill in the townland of Coolsaragh, two miles (3 km) south of Tobermore. It is claimed that a massacre took place here shortly after that of Island MacHugh (Island Magee) in January 1642, when 18 Scotch families removed from the County of Antrim, settled in the neighbourhood and committed a cold blooded massacre upon the Irish occupants of the land. In 1834, the names of those families could still be remembered, though none of said families now remain in the area.Executions
When the nearby village of Desertmartin held the county court of County Coleraine, all those condemned to die were executed or hung from a stone that projected out over the door of the old Kilcronaghan parish church. This stone had a gutter cut to embrace the rope and prevent it from slipping from the stone during an execution. During the rebellion of 1641, in which Phelim O'Neill was engaged, and even in subsequent periods, the old Kilcronaghan parish church was still the scene of executions. The hanging stone was in 1806 built into the new church.Local superstitions
In the Statistical Reports of Six Derry Parishes 1821, there are listed three superstitions that were held by people of the area:Firstly it is claimed that people in the Kilcronaghan and Ballinascreen parish areas once believed in the 'occult virtues' of the Ballinascreen Bell where those who swore upon it became cursed. There are two recorded stories of people swearing on the bell and misfortune occurring to them afterward:
- A Mr Higgins, from the townland of Gortahurk, was accused of stealing some articles from a neighbouring farmer. He procured the ancient bell, brought it to the scene of the accusation and swore an oath upon it. However instead he suffered immediate mental derangement, a condition he would have until his death. It also affected two of his offspring.
- A woman who made a voluntary, but unlawful oath, on the Ballinascreen Bell, suffered from mental derangement for many years.
The second superstition, which was supposedly held by on the large by the Roman Catholics of the country, was that an oath taken on the Bible was not binding as if taken on their "own Manual or Prayer Book".
The third superstition was the blinking of cows. This superstition held that you mustn't "mix milk of one quarter with that of another quarter, lest their cows should be blinked, as it is believed that mixing the milk is the reason of so many cows being blinked". Not even a single drop of the last quarter of milk would be mixed with that of another, in either sweet or butter milk. What exactly the blinking of cows was is not detailed.
Kilcronaghan parish church
The original parish church of Kilcronaghan stands in the townland of Mormeal, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away from the present day parish church. Local traditions claim that this church was founded by Saint Crunathan, a bishop and son to a late king of Munster, sometime in the 6th century and afterwards named after him. Saint Cronaghan is also alleged to have been the foster-uncle of the famed Saint ColumbaSaint Columba
-Saints:* Columba , Irish Christian saint who evangelized Scotland* Columba the Virgin, also known as Saint Columba of Cornwall* Columba of Sens* Columba of Spain* Columba of Terryglass* Sancta Columba -Schools:...
.
Records from the church show payments by the church's herenach in 1397 of 12s and in 1609 of 13s4d. A herenach was a person or family expected to maintain the church lands and support the bishop and clerics within proceeds from the land.
The church was rebuilt in the 13th century, incorporating several Norman styles, and by 1622 was described as being ruinous. In 1693, it is recorded that there were only eight families in the parish "and of these not above twelve or thirteen comfortable persons". During the next century ownership would transfer from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Ireland, and by 1768 it was back in good repair, with the parish containing 126 Protestant families of 510 persons by 1831.
In 1806, the ancient parish church was again rebuilt but on a smaller scale, incorporating several of its older 13th century features such as a fine Norman niche, capital, modern window jambs, the western gable, and the northern wall, with the rest being pulled down. Above the door into the church was carved - "Rebuilt 1806 Rev William Bryan Rector - James Stevenson Esq. and Thomas Jackson - churchwardens - Leverty builder", which reads as the church rector at the time being Rev William Bryan, the church wardens being James Stevenson Esq. and Thomas Jackson, with the building having been rebuilt by Laverty's. A ledge used for hanging people, which had been part of the church for centuries was also built into the church.
During the overhauling of the ancient parish church, several raised tombs and ancient graves standing in the interior were disturbed, with several skulls raised out, all with silk caps upon them, none of which could be removed due to the passage of time. Along with this was discovered in the graves a number of gold rings and other jewels supposed to have been worn by nuns and buried with their remains in the body of the church. Also found in one of the graves was an ancient book that had become "quite defaced by time and damp...".
Ironically by 1823, only 17 years after being rebuilt to the parishes needs, the old church no longer met the needs of the growing population of Tobermore and the parish, and was declared inadequate in the accommodation of the congregation. So on Monday 27 February 1854, it was agreed to build a new parish church on a new site.
By 1855, the Rev Marcus McCausland offered a site in the townland of Gortree (now part of Moneyshanere), which was accepted and on 13 April 1858, the new church was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Right Reverend William Higgin. The Coleraine Chronicle states that the church "is built of grey stone, in the Gothic style of architecture, and reflects great credit on the architect, Mr W Mullan, and his efficient workmen."
The present Kilcronaghan Parish church celebrated its 150th anniversary on 13 April 2008.