Barony in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Loughinsholin
(from
Irish
Loch Inse Ui Fhloinn
'lough of O'Lynn's island'
[1]
) is a
barony
in
County Londonderry
,
Northern Ireland
.
[2]
Its southeast borders the northwest shore of
Lough Neagh
, and itself is bordered by seven other baronies:
Dungannon Upper
to the south;
Strabane Upper
to the west;
Keenaght
and
Coleraine
to the north;
Kilconway
,
Toome Upper
, and
Toome Lower
to the east.
[2]
It was formed largely on the extent of the northern part of the medieval Irish
tuath
of Ui Tuirtri.
The
Sperrin Mountains
rise to the west of Loughinsholin, with
Slieve Gallion
and Carntogher the two most notable mountains of the range in the barony.
[1]
The Ballinderry River flows along the southern boundary of the barony, with the
River Moyola
cutting through the middle, both emptying into
Lough Neagh
. The largest settlement in the barony is the town of
Magherafelt
.
History
[
edit
]
Medieval history and Ui Tuirtri
[
edit
]
The area of land that forms Loughinsholin has changed control several times throughout history. During the first millennium, it was part of the over-kingdom of
Ulaid
. It would then become part of the over-kingdom of
Airgialla
, founded by the
Three Collas
from their conquests in Ulster. One of the under-kingdoms of Airgialla was Ui Tuirtri, named after Fiachu Tort, 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
[3]
), located half a mile north of
Tobermore
.
The
O Floinn
sept (English:
O'Lynn
) would come to prominence in Ui Tuirtri, with their power-base situated on a crannog just outside the modern village of
Desertmartin
. The lake this crannog lay in became known as "Lough Insholin" and was preserved as the name of the barony of Loughinsholin upon its creation. Centuries later, Shane More O'Hagan, once owner of Calmore Castle within the parish of Kilcronaghan in the barony, later married a lady from these O'Lynns and took up residence at "Lough Insholin".
[4]
With the expansion of the
Cenel nEogain
into Airgialla, the territory of Ui Tuirtri west of the
River Bann
eventually passed into the overlordship of Tir Eoghain.
[5]
By the 1350s, the
Clandeboye O'Neills
had stepped into the power-vacuum left by the collapse of the
Earldom of Ulster
,
[6]
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
Dun Ti Bhriain
(preserved as the townland of
Duntibryan
).
[7]
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 was killed by
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
[8]
in 1586.
[4]
On 15 July 1591, County Tyrone was divided into eight baronies, of which one was "Loghynisolin", containing the districts of
Cloncankayne
(Glenconkeyne) and Kilytraghe (Killetra).
[9]
[10]
Charter of Londonderry
[
edit
]
The barony of Loughinsholin upon creation was originally part of
County Tyrone
, and in the survey of 1609, the map for the area shows it divided into two sections; the first of which contains the ancient Irish
districts
of "Killetragh" (
Killetra
), "
Tomlagh
", "
Tarraghter
", and "Melannagh" (
Melanagh
). The second of which contained the ancient districts of "Glanconkeyne" (
Glenconkeyne
) and "Clandonel" (
Clandonnell
).
[11]
In 1613 however as part of the Charter of Londonderry, most of the barony except for the south-western portion consisting of Tarraghter and Melanagh, was incorporated into the new county of Londonderry. The remainder, which remained in County Tyrone, along with the barony of Mountjoy was amalgamated with that of
Dungannon
.
[12]
[13]
Proportions
[
edit
]
Prior to 1613 and the creation of County Londonderry, the barony of Loughinsholin, like that of Coleraine, Keenaght, and Tirkeeran, was divided up into "proportions" for the survey carried out in 1609. The names and extent of these proportions were recited in the grant of the new county to
The Honourable The Irish Society
.
[11]
The estates of three of the great twelve London livery companies had their centres in the barony: the
Drapers' Company
in present-day
Moneymore
; the
Salters' Company
in
Magherafelt
; and the
Vintners' Company
in
Bellaghy
.
In most instances each proportion lay within one of the ancient territories that consisted the barony, in which each proportion consisted of a number of townlands.
[11]
Killetra
[
edit
]
- Ballinemanagh - A middle proportion consisting of 1,500 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
- Drumrott - A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
- Tirnafessy - A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
Clandonnell
[
edit
]
- Gortconra - A great proportion consisting of 2,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
- Ballymacrossy - A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres.
[11]
Glenconkeyne
[
edit
]
- Moysaden
- A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres.
[11]
- Cohoire
- A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
- Cynah
- A small proportion consisting of 1,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
Tomlagh
[
edit
]
- Balleletrim - A great proportion consisting of 2,500 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
Other proportions
[
edit
]
- Corramony
- A small proportion split between Clandonnell and Glenconkeyne consisting of 1,000 acres, besides glebe land.
[11]
- Lackah - A small proportion split between Killetra and Tomlagh consisting of 1,000 acres.
[11]
- Tyrassan - A small proportion consisting of 420 acres.
[11]
- Lands in Killetra that in all make up two proportions consisting of 420 and 560 acres respectively.
[11]
List of settlements
[
edit
]
Below is a list of settlements in Loughinsholin:
[1]
Towns
[
edit
]
Villages
[
edit
]
Hamlets and population centres
[
edit
]
- Ballinderry Bridge
- Ballymaguigan
- Ballyneese
- Churchtown
- Glen
- Herveyhill
- Tamlaght O'Crilly
- The Six Towns
List of civil parishes
[
edit
]
Below is a list of civil parishes in Loughinsholin:
[14]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Loughinsholin"
.
Placenames Database of Ireland
. Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
a
b
PRONI Baronies of Northern Ireland
- ^
Magherafelt Parish
- ^
a
b
Statistical Reports of Six Derry Parishes 1821, John MacCloskey
- ^
Ireland's History In Maps
- ^
Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia
. Editors Sean Duffy, Ailbhe MacShamhrain, and James Moynes
- ^
Mr. John O'Donovan's Letters from County Londonderry (1834)
- ^
Tyrone's Rebellion, by Hyram Morgan
- ^
Reeves, William.
Acts of Archbishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry, A.D. MCCCXCVII
. Dublin: printed for the Irish Archaeological Society, 1850.
- ^
"Inquisitionum in Officio Rotulorum Cancellariae Hiberniae Asservatarum Repertorium"
. 1829
. Retrieved
12 May
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
The Conquest of Ireland - County Londonderry Lands and Families in Northern Ireland, page 388, Rev. George Hill
- ^
- A New History of Ireland, pages 111-112
- ^
Map depicting the baronies that were part of the Plantation of Ulster
- ^
Map of the baronies and civil parishes of County Londonderry