Midi file playing is "The Mountains of Mourne"

(Landowners in 1876 can be got from the index on the main  page of the website under Land Deeds)

Clicking on any of the names below will give you history, stories, and other information on that townland.

Annalong
Greencastle
Including 1911 Census
Bloody Bridge
Boundaries - Mourne
Cranfield
Hilltown
Rostrevor
People Researching Ancestors in
 Rostrevor
&
Warrenpoint areas
Cattle Spoil In An Age of Industry
By
Richard O'Prey
Rostrevor & Warrenpoint Births
Killowen
Mourne Cadger
Belfast Newsletter  1737-1800

Many Thanks to ... Tom Porter and John Newell for this Information

Mourne Local Studies Group

The Mourne Local Studies Group (MLSG) was founded in 1986 to foster an interest in all aspects of the Kingdom of Mourne. This it does by way of a regular series of Winter talks, Spring field trips, an annual coach tour and it's journal 12 Miles of Mourne. It also maintains an archive of material of local interest which has been compiled by the members.  An email address has been set up specifically for the Mourne Local Studies Group (MLSG) by the secretary Valerie Stevenson which is  mournelocalstudiesgroup@kilkeelroad.freeserve.co.uk

12 Miles of Mourne Vol 8  is available from :

Mr Sean Keating
11 Bayview Park
Manse Road
Kilkeel
County Down
BT34 4BW
Northern Ireland.

The cost in Pounds sterling including postage and packing is £5.00 United Kingdom and £7.00 abroad. Back issues of Vols 5, 6 and 7 may be obtained from the secretary by e-mailing mournelocalstudiesgroup@kilkeelroad.freeserve.co.uk
The cost in pounds sterling including postage and packing  is £4.00 United Kingdom and £6.00 abroad per copy.

Annalong

The name of the village of Annalong (Ford of the Ships) may well date back to the days of the Vikings when their longships found shelter in the 'wee hole' at the mouth of Annalong River where the harbour was later built. Until the gravel bar was breached at Kilkeel in the 1870s, Annalong was the principal harbour along the Mourne coast. Walter Harris, in The Antient and Present State of the County of Down, writing of harbours along the Mourne coast, noted that "that of Islealong is the best, though it will not receive any vessel but what are under 20 tons". (the name Islealong was used occasionally up the middle of the last century).

Prior to 1800 granite kerbstones, locally known as 'kribben' were being exported from Annalong to the west coast ports of Britain in converted fishing boats. As the granite industry developed purpose-built schooners were used and by 1900 a fleet of over thirty such vessels operated from the harbour. The demand for granite has changed and to satisfy the demand large blocks of different coloured granites are now imported from all over the world to be cut and polished in the village.

During the building of the Silent Valley reservoir practically all the material used was imported through Annalong from where it was transported by a purpose-built standard gauge railway to the site. Up until the second world war Annalong had a considerable fishing industry but the harbour was too small to accommodate the larger vessels and they moved to Kilkeel though the inshore fishermen continued to operate from Annalong where much of the catch is processed for export.

A corn mill near the harbour has recently been restored to working order and a fishing vessel on dry land near the Marina will hopefully form the nucleus of a future Maritime Museum. The Ship's davit erected nearby is reputed to have come from the ill - fated S.S. Lusitania, the passenger liner sunk off County Cork in 1915.

The Early Years ... in the 1800's

Like practically every place-name in Mourne, the name Annalong derives from the Irish Celtic (Gaelic) - Ath na Long and means 'the ford of the ships'- a reference not to the harbour, but some crossing on the river near where it enters the sea. It probably relates to Viking times of around a thousand years ago when the longships found some shelter at the mouth of the river.

The name does not appear on any document prior to Symington's Survey of 1655, probably because it is not a townland. In the Census Report of 1659 Annalong is referred to as a 'quarter'- a sub-division of a townland - in this case Moneydarraghmore. Neighbouring townlands are Mullartown (meaning Dortan's bare or round summit), Money darraghmore (dark thicket or scrub), Glasdrumman (green ridge), and Ballyveagh (MacVeigh's townland).

There is little or no material evidence of the Vikings ever having settled here though there are some words in the local dialect which would appear to suggest Norse influence. 'Selk' is the local name for the common seal; to 'set allow' is to set on fire; to 'hain' is to eke out; 'holm' refers to low-lying land close to the river. Up until recently, fish were normally sold by count and the long (Norse) hundred of six score was used. The traditional method of counting fish meant that a 'hundred' actually contained one hundred and twenty seven fish! The Vikings are also said to have introduced the clinker-built boat with the lower edge of each plank overlapping the one below, like the slates on a roof. This method of construction was favoured by local fishermen until recent times and is still used on occasions.

Whilst the link with the Vikings may be tenuous, there is firmer evidence for much earlier human habitation. During the middle 1980s, when some minor excavation was being carried out during the making of the Marine Park at Annalong, eighty nine pieces of humanly-worked flint were turned up. There was insufficient evidence to date these artifacts but it is quite possible that they were between 6000 and 7000 years old and thus belong to the late Mesolithic period (middle Stone Age). There is also evidence of prehistoric settlement in nearby Moneydarraghmore townland, in the form of a standing stone known as the Long Stone. The function of such stones has been much debated. Some regard them as marking now destroyed graves, or as having astronomical significance. Others have postulated that they are territorial markers, or nothing more than scratching posts for cattle.

During the Early Christian era, in the second half of the first millennium, the Dal Fiatach, a clan based in the Downpatrick area, held sway over the region. Although the coastal side of the mountains is now referred to as the 'Kingdom of Mourne', it is unlikely that it was ever a kingdom in the proper sense, even at this time.

Although Saint Patrick did not enter this area, according to legend he did establish its boundaries when he threw his sandal from Strupatrick, a mile south of Newcastle to the Cassy Water between Kilkeel and Rostrevor. It was said locally that the print of his foot could be seen in the bed of the former stream until the present road bridge was built in the 19th century.

There are two schools of thought about the origin of the name Mourne. One is that it derives from the Gaelic more (great) and rinn (headland). The other is that the name was brought here during the 12th century by settlers from Cremorne in what is now Co Monaghan.

Unlike many regions along the east coast of Ireland, there is little material evidence of the Anglo-Normans. They built substantial castles at Greencastle and Dundrum but communication between these strongholds was likely to have been by sea. When De Courcy made his historic march from Dublin to Downe in 1177 he went by what is locally known as the 'back side' - the landward side of the mountains. Apart from the manor of Greencastle, there was apparently little English settlement anywhere else within the present Kingdom, and only two of the townlands, Greencastle and Grange, appear to have been named by the Anglo-Normans.

Geographically, Mourne has always been isolated from the rest of Co Down with only the coast road giving access until recent centuries. Writing of Mourne in 1744, Walter Harris noted: "From the inner harbour of Dundrum the coast bears south to Ballachaneir Point, and from thence has a western inclination for near four leagues to Cranfield Point, affording nothing remarkable, unless an iron shoar as far as Kirkeel, and a few boat harbours may be mentioned as such; of which that of Islealong is the best, though it will not receive any vessels but what are under twenty tons. " The names ' Islealong' or 'Islelong' and 'Kirkeel' were occasionally used up to the middle of the present century.

Annalong In The 1800s
(By Tom Porter)

Fishing Disasters

Early in the morning of the 10th January, 1814, about fifty boats, each carrying six or seven men, had left the Mourne coast for the fishing grounds off the mouth of Carlingford Lough. The day was reasonably good - the sea was calm and the wind light and variable. There had been a few showers during the night and a little snow lay on the ground but there were no indications that there was going to be a sudden change. They reached the fishing grounds just after ten o'clock and after a short time they noticed that bad weather was on the way from the south. They decided to head for home but were overtaken by a heavy snow shower and a strong south-westerly gale.

A report in the Belfast Newsletter of 12th January takes up the story: "On their arrival at the [Annalong] harbour, signals were made to prevent them coming in there. Two only succeeded in landing out of the six who attempted. The rest met a watery grave. The remainder of the boats proceeded along the shore, some filled at sea, some were upset and others dashed to pieces on the shore. Mourne has suffered a loss of twenty seven of its inhabitants, many of whom have left large and helpless families. It would be impossible to describe the distressing scene that was there witnessed - fathers, mothers, wives and sons inquiring and looking most anxiously for the fate of their relations. We understand two wherries (Clontarf hookers) and five boats from Newcastle were fishing off Annalong that day and it is said that thirteen of the latter were drowned." The report then goes on to list the names of the Mourne fishermen who were lost; all the bodies were later found along the shore.

On the day of the tragedy, Lieutenant Francis Chesney, son of Alexander Chesney, was on Slieve Bingian with a gun and a couple of dogs. he had returned to his native Mourne on Christmas leave from his army posting in Guernsey in December 1813. Finding that several members of his family were suffering from typhus, he had to spend much of the time outdoors. Just before noon the weather worsened and he decided to return home. When he reached the bottom of the Grove Road he heard someone shouting, "The boats are a-lossin!" He ran along the shore and just before reaching the harbour he saw a boat overturned in the water with a man near it. He jumped in and with great difficulty succeeded in rescuing Hugh Purdy, son of the owner of the boat. Chesney was so affected by the cold that he took several hours to recover.

On the morning after he had saved the life of Hughey Purdy, Francis Chesney was back at the harbour again. A vessel, the Leda of Lynn, was dragging her anchor and heading for the rocks. Francis, though his father tried to restrain him, waded across the rocks through the surf and with the help one of his father's boatmen, managed to get a line aboard the vessel by which the master and crew were safely brought ashore. A contemporary report noted, "Several Warrenpoint boats were surprised on the coast by the sudden storm. The vessels were upset and the men perished. The loss is not yet accurately ascertained but it is believed that at least forty men have been drowned. Lieutenant Chesney of the Royal Artillery, actuated by a true spirit of benevolence, swam boldly out in the midst of a tremendous sea and nobly saved the lives of some of his perishing fellow creatures at the imminent hazard of his own. A correspondent informs us that five merchant vessels have been wrecked off the Kilkeel coast and that the shore is covered with their ruins

Mourne fishermen lost in the 1814 tragedy
William Moore, John Stevenson, Hugh Wallace. Jun., #
Arthur McCartan, William Kerr, John McDowell,
R. McDonald, William Rodgers, William Montgomery ,
James McDonald, Robert Harrison, R. Gibson,
Nicholas Harrison, P. McCartan, McVeigh,
Thomas McKnight, William Pews, John McVeigh,
Hugh McVeigh, John Akinson, John Gibson,
Daniel Mooney, McCorrigan, Michael Magee,
James Cromwell Sr., T. Cromwell Sr.,

A ballad sheet printed in Newry and entitled The new sorrowful lamentation of the Mourne fishermen drowned on the 10th January 1814, immortalised the event:

Inspire me, Ye genius, to pen these few lines,
Assist me, ye muses, with verses sublime.
Concerning this misfortune that happened of late,
One thousand eight hundred and fourteen the date.

The tenth of January, on that fatal day,
When those jolly fishermen they put out to sea,
But such a misfortune never happened before
Which leaves many mourning along Mourne shore.

Great praise is due to Captain Chesney's son,
In the middle of danger to the quay he did run,
And swam o'er the waves like Leander of old,
And of young Hughey Purdy he quickly took hold.

He saved him from drowning, relief being near,
Wherein different forms grim death doth appear.
And brought him to land with the help of an oar,
Or he'd otherwise never have seen Mourne shore.

Francis Chesney, now twenty five years old, was awarded an Honorary Certificate by the Royal Humane Society for rescuing Hugh Purdy, and the French Shipwreck Society presented him with a medal for the part he played in rescuing the crew of the Leda.

Friday 13th January 1843 saw yet another tragedy, undoubtedly one of the worst ever to take place off the Mourne coast. The morning of that day was unusually fine with only a slight breeze blowing from the south. The few clouds gave no indication, even to the most experienced sailors, that the weather would suddenly change. One bystander, however, had some doubts:

Great praises are due to old William McVeigh,
That morning going out to the men he did say,
This morning reminds me so much of fourteen,
Says he, My brave boys in the bay don't be seen.
They said to each other they couldn't be beat,
There's no waves in the ocean can make us retreat,
Our lines they are strong and our boats they, are stout,
And. for that very reason we will venture out.

Ten boats from Newcastle and six from Lower Mourne set off for the fishing grounds known as the ' Bleachyards' , seven or eight miles out in the channel. On reaching them, the skies darkened and in an incredibly short time the wind quickly veered to the north-west and west. Within minutes a violent gale was blowing and snow clouds appeared in the sky. It was time to run for shelter. A number of the vessels withstood the first shock but several were capsized in the struggle. One of the yawls, with six men, by almost super-human exertions, managed to reach Killough. The men were so exhausted that it took several hours for them to recover. By noon it was snowing heavily; an icy wind tugged at the boats while great waves pounded into them. The men pulled on the oars and hoped that they would soon reach shelter.

Onlookers on shore realised that the fishermen were in considerable danger and a boat was launched at Annalong to go to their assistance. Before it had travelled a hundred yards it was smashed to pieces on the rocks and all hands were lost. Farther along the coast (some say at the Spring Well) another boat was launched and it suffered the same fate. Attempts were made at Glasdrumman, Dunmore and Newcastle to launch rescue boats but again to no avail. Within less than one hour twelve courageous men, going to the assistance of the fishermen had lost their lives.

The beach was crowded to extreme with men of valiant fame,
Who nobly put their boats to sea to top the foaming main,
Intending these poor victims their precious lives to save,
But to their sad misfortune they all met a watery grave.

Before darkness fell the extent of the tragedy was known - forty six men from Newcastle and twenty seven from Mourne had found watery graves. Of the ten boats which had left Newcastle that morning, only three returned.

The Mourne victims who had gone to the aid of the fishermen were Daniel McNeilly, John Doran, John McCrum, Samuel Gordon, Henry Burden, James McKibben, Patrick Savage, John McGrory, Hugh McGrory, Thomas McGrory, John McStay and Bernard McGrory The Mourne fishermen who lost their lives were Daniel McNeilly, Robert McIlveney, Pat McIlveney, Adam Trew, John Skillen, James Hughes, James Morrison, Bernard Doran, John Orr, Hugh Smith, Charles McGrory, Daniel McGrory, John Cunningham, John McCreanor and Hugh Curran.

It would appear from the names that many of these men were from the Glasdrumman and Dunmore areas. Indeed, one of the numerous poems written about the event is entitled The Glasdrumman Fishermen and contains the lines:

George Thompson of Glasdrumman, a man of noble fame,
His conduct good upon that day will honour to him gain.
Just like a skilful mariner, a wharf he did provide,
To save the lives of eight brave men who did at anchor ride.

And James Maginn and Cromwell, I can't half sound their praise,
Just like the bold Leander who topped the foaming wave.
With courage bold undaunted, for two long miles and more,
Took eight men from McGreevy's boat and brought them safe ashore.

And likewise John McGreevy, upon that dismal day,
He ventured twice through sleet and snow upon the stormy sea
It was to save the 'Nancy's' crew, but Morrison is no more,
For brave young Smith and Curran so bold expired on the shore.

The George Thompson referred to in the first line was a member of the family who held most of the land in Glasdrumman. It was stated that the total number left destitute as a result of the disaster was: one hundred and eighteen children, twenty seven widows, fourteen heads of families, three orphans and two aunts.

Newcastle town is one long street entirely stripped of men,
And near to it a village small has lost no less than ten
In Annalong  a widow woman three sons from her were torn,
So widows, orphans and sweethearts may now weep in deep mourn.

Immediately following the disaster, a Belfast newspaper launched an appeal on behalf of the dependants of the victims. Local committees were also formed in Newcastle, Annalong and Kilkeel. When the committees met together it was decided that their efforts should be combined and that proceeds from the appeal should be divided two-thirds to the Newcastle committee and one-third to Mourne. Part of the proceeds were used by the Newcastle committee to build the Widows' Row which still stands overlooking the harbour.

Some time after the disaster several boats, believed to be from the ill-fated fleet, were washed up along the coast. One, found smashed to pieces at the south-west corner of Ireland bore the words "Nancy, owner Francis McGreevy." Another bore the word "McClelland" and yet another "Laurel of Newcastle."

Taken from a pamphlet produced in 1843 to raise funds for the bereaved families,

Belonging to Annalong
 

Names and Remarks
 

*Alexander Orr, 4 children, poor

*John Doran, 7 children, very poor

*John McCrum, A widowed mother,three brothers and three sisters

*Samuel Gordon, Father and mother and two sisters, poor

*Henry Burden, 1 child, very poor

*Patrick Savage, Father and mother with six children, very poor

*James McKibben, Father and mother, and three sisters, poor

*John McGrory, Widowed mother and widowed sister, two brothers and one sister, poor

*Hugh McGrory, one child, an orphan child about eight years old, poor

*Thomas McGrory, Father and mother, three brothers and one sister

*John McStay, five children, extremely poor, and widow pregnant

*Bernard McGrory, A father, mother and two sisters, very poor

Daniel McNeilly, four children, extremely poor

Robert McIlveney, A widowed mother, two orphan children ,extremely poor

Pat. McIlveney, two children, extremely poor and wife pregnant

Adam Trew, five children, extremely poor and widowed mother

James Hughes, Father and mother very old and one sister, very poor

John Skillen, four children, poor

James Morrison, Father and mother, two sisters ,poor

Bernard Doran, poor

Hugh Curran, An orphan sister, poor

Hugh Smith, Father and mother,one brother and one sister, poor

Daniel McGrory, An aged aunt and two brothers, poor

Charles McGrory, six children, very poor

John Cunningham, Father and mother, three sisters and one brother

John McCreanor, Father and mother with five young children, poor

John Orr, A widowed mother, three sisters and two brothers, poor

* These 12 men lost their lives in attempting to save the lives of others, and the Boat of John and Hugh McGrory was also lost.

VERSES   GRAVE AND GAY
From a Mourne Man's Scrap Book - (COMPOSED IN 1923)

REGATTA DAY AT ANNALONG 

In days gone by the big event of the year was the Annalong regatta.A group of country girls     walking down the road to the regatta at Annalong inspired the following lines:

We see the sun a-slantin' through the hedges in the lane,
We hear the laughin' breezes and the thrushes' song,
And we're headin' for the harbour, and hope it will not rain,
As this is regatta day at Annalong.
The oul' taypot on the shelf held a tidy bit o' money,
For we have skimped and saved to put a bit away,
Of savin's from the flowerin' and a bob or two we got of sonny,
To have a bit o' sport in Annalong the day,
We'll call in wi' Mrs. Linton and then wi' Mrs. Bill,
And take all the nice boys along,
The mist is curlin' up and spreadin' o'er the mountains,
And we're goin' to have some stir in Annalong

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The Bloody Bridge

The Bloody Bridge River rises at the head of the Bog of Donard and separates that mountain from the tor-capped summit of Chimney Rock Mountain to the south. The well worn path along the river leads to the Hare's Gap via. the Brandy Pad which takes its name from the contraband traffic during the days of intensive smuggling along the Mourne coast.

Silks for Her Ladyship,webs that gleam and shine,
A11 the southern summer in his lordship's wine,
Gold for the sailorman, silver for the lad,
Them was days of plenty on the smugglers' pad ...
(Ballads of Mourne)

During the O'Neill rebellion of the 17th century a group of protestant prisoners, taken by the insurgents at Newry, were being escorted to Downpatrick to be exchanged for prisoners being held there. When they reached Newcastle their captors learned that the Downpatrick prisoners had been hanged. The Newry prisoners were then taken to Fofany Glen where on October 23rd. 1641 they were 'hackd, slashed and cut to pieces' by the Irish Commander, George Russell of Rathmullan at the instigation of Sir Conn Magennis and their remains were thrown into what was then known as the Midpace River. It is said that the water flowed red for seven days.

On a hillock on the seaward side of the road is the ruin of the ancient Church of St. Mary or Kilnahatin (Church of the Whins). This church, probably medieval in date, was originally one of the stations in the Slieve Donard pilgrimage.

The Bloody Bridge, in the townland of Ballaghanery (the Pass of the Shepherd), a couple of miles south of Newcastle, on the Kilkeel road, is one of the best known landmarks in the southern part of County Down. The old ivy covered bridge across what was once known as the Midpace River lies about a hundred yards upstream from the present crossing.

There are many stories relating to the occurrence from which the bridge derives its present name. Some of the stories have been handed down through the generations and, as might be expected, are widely varied. Some even suggest that a full scale battle took place here and many of the older maps show the crossed swords to indicate the site of such. There was no battle, not even a skirmish, though during the seventeenth century there was what im military parlance might be termed as an 'incident'. Walter Harris, the author of 'The Ancient and Present State of the County of Down' (Dublin 1744) was not sure how many people had been killed - either twenty-four or fifty!

In his 1898 'Guide to County Down and the Mourne Mountains' Robert Lloyd Praegar simply refers to 'the massacre of a number of protestants of Newry, including their minister .... at the instigation of Sir Conn Magennis'.

O'Neill's Rebellion

During what is sometimes referred to as Sir Phelim O'Neill's rebellion in the seventeenth century the insurgents attacked The Newry - in those days the name of the town was always preceded by the definite article. Many prisoners were taken and some of these were escorted to the port of Carlingford from where they would be taken by sea to Dublin when the wind was favourable. The number of prisoners in this group is not known but it was probably around a dozen.

While the prisoners were being held at Carlingford the orders were changed and the escorting party was ordered to take them to Downpatrick where they would be exchanged for Irish prisoners being held there by Montgomery of the Ards. They crossed Carlingford Lough to Greencastle and according to statements taken later, spent a night in what is referred to as a 'house of entertainment'  (lodging house) belonging to Edmond Doran in 'Ballyran' (probably Ballinran, near Kilkeel).

Doran, who gave evidence at an enquiry some twelve years later, was able to name some of the prisoners - Lieutenant Hugh Trevor, a native of the townland of Lisnagreade between Scarva and Loughbrickland; his wife and her maid; a minister from Newry named Toutch, and a Mr Weston. He was unable to recall the names of the others nor did he remember their exact number. He had no idea what had happened to them after they left his premises though he had heard that they had all been murdered but he didn't know by whom. All he knew was that they had left his house after spending one night there and went off in the direction of Newcastle.

It would appear that when they arrived at the Magennis Castle (on the site of the present Newcastle Centre and Tropicana), they heard that the Irish prisoners being held in the gaol at Downpatrick and for whom they were to be exchanged, had been hanged. In his account Harris makes no mention of the prisoners being hanged. He simply says 'But no sooner were they brought to Newcastle, about nine miles short of Downe, than Sir Con met them and the next day caused them to be taken back from thence a few miles into a wood called the Pass of Bealachneir, where they were most barbarously cut, slashed and hacked and at length hanged ny George Russell of Rathmullan, and divers of his assistants, instigated and commanded by Sir Con'.

Inquiry

In 1903 Thomas Fitzpatrick published an account of his investigations into the incident at the Bloody Bridge and gives details of the depositions taken at the inquiry. Edward Clark of Drumlee gave evidence that after arriving at the house of Magennis in Newcastle, the prisoners were taken back to the Pass of Dundrum by Conn McArt Magennis (not Sir Con), Hugh McGinn and several others. (The Pass of Dundrum refers to the passage between Slieve Donard and the sea - now known as the Ballagh.).

In his account Fitzpatrick gives the names of five more prisoners taken from Newry - Samuel Hanlon, Clement Sturgeoner, Francis Simmons, Nicholas Foster and Thomas Gaskyn. Edward Clark's evidence at the inquiry continues with a detailed account of how several of the prisoners were killed in the Fofany Glen wood.

' ... McGinn drew his sword and struck Weston on the head. O'Rory run the said Weston twice or thrice through the body .... and there. murdered all the said prisoners. Lieutenant Hugh Trevor was killed at the same time. Con Magennis gave him the first blow ... '

Later accounts of the incident do not mention the maid referred to by earlier witnesses nor is she mentioned in evidence taken at the inquiry from the father of Lieutenant Trevor. It was said locally that the hacked and slashed remains of the prisoners were thrown into what is now known as the Bloody Bridge River and that the water flowed red for seven days.

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Cranfield

During the Second World War it was decided by the War Cabinet that 26 new airfields should be created in Northern Ireland to supplement the existing fields at Aldergrove, Sydenham and Newtownards. One of these was to be at Cranfield but since there was already an airfield at Cranfield in Bedfordshire, the new one would be named after the nearby Greencastle.

Work began early in 1942 and within six months the aerodrome was operational. In 1943 the station was officially handed over to the United States Army Air Force by whom it was known as Station 237. For much of the war it served as a storage and maintenance depot and later as a gunnery school. At one stage there were no fewer than five hundred aircraft parked there.

At the end of the war the runways, taxi strips and hard standings were broken up and the land was bought back by its former owners. The field divisions had disappeared during the construction of the airfield as indeed had a prehistoric tomb known as Loughananka. The concrete slabs which once supported so many aircraft were utilised to build the 'ditches' which now characterize this area of the Cranfield Peninsula.Cranfield beach, the only south-facing one in Northern Ireland, with its magnificent views and high quality caravan parks, now attracts thousands of visitors during the summer season.

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Greencastle Village

The hamlet of Greencastle at the western tip of the Cranfield Peninsula was once an important communication link. The pier, which is still extant, was built by the London and North Western Railway Company in 1844 to ferry passengers to Greenore to connect with their Holyhead and Liverpool ferries.

On Friday 3rd November 1916 the Connemara left Greenore at 8 pm for Holyhead. She had on board 51 passengers, 30 crew members, 3 cattlemen and a luggage guard under the command of Captain G. H. Doeg. The Retriever, a steamer owned by the Clanrye Shipping Company Ltd. of Newry with an eight man crew was bound for Newry with a cargo of coal.

Just after 8.30pm they met in the channel close to the Haulbowline lighthouse. The bow of the Retriever struck the Connemara amidships and within eight minutes both vessels had sunk and all lives, with the exception of James Boyle, a 21-year old seaman from Warrenpoint were lost. It is said that Boyle, who was unable to swim, managed to grab the tail of a cow and thus managed to reach the shore! The nearby Greenisland is now a bird sanctuary and the home during the summer for thousand of terns.

The Castle at Greencastle was built in the middle of the 13th century on the site of an ancient fair green as a link in the chain of castles along the east coast. It was first occupied by the de Burghs, Earls of Ulster. In the following century the Irish, under the leadership of one of the Magennises, obtained posession but this was short lived. Eventually it was occupied by Nicholas Bagenal, a native of Staffordshire, who, 1552 was granted lands in Down, Armagh and Louth as reward for his services as Marshall of Ireland. On his death in 1590 the estate passed to his son Henry who was killed at the Battle of the Yellow Ford in 1599.

The entire estate remained in the Bagenal family until the death of Richard, the last male heir, in 1712. The extensive property was then partitioned and inherited by Edward Bailey, and Robert Nedham. Bailey took the lands in Louth and the eastern portion of the Lordship of Newry while Nedham took the western portion of the Lordship and the Barony of Newry and Mourne.

In 1806 Nedham's descendant, William Nedham, died and bequeathed his property to Robert Needham (with two e's), Viscount Kilmorey of Shavington in Shropshire. The family built a new home not at Greencastle which was now in ruins, but in the townland of Ballyrogan, which was renamed Mourne Park. In 1832 Viscount Kilmorey became the first Earl of Kilmorey with the additional title of Viscount Newry and Mourne.

According to legend a ghost who once occupied the castle was banished to the Red Sea for 520 years. It is also said that Block House Island, in the middle of the lough was once connected by a tunnel to the castle.

Taken from "An Old Timer Talking"
(By W.J.Fitzpatrick)

Mourne Observer, Newcastle.Co.Down - (Narrated by Hugh Marks)

"A wuz 9 years oul' when A left school an' A hired for work in McMurrays o' Greencastle to herd cows an' sheep. The wages wur ten shillin's for the half year. A also worked in Newells o' Benagh an' in McElroys at Greencastle,  the toughest place o' the lot wuz me start. A wuz only 9 years oul' ye see, an' it wuz in the winter time A started. A wuz put to herd sheep an' cattle on the Islands aff the Millbay from 5 o'clock in the mornin' to 9 o'clock at night wi' only a piece in me pocket. Many an' many a coul' winter's day A burned dry wrack an' sticks to dry me feet an' keep meself warm. A wuz on the Islands from the tide went out in the early mornin' til it came in at night wi' little in me or on me, an' ye know it wuz very hard on a wee fella.

"Newells' wuz a good house to work in, there wuz a roughness o' everythin' an' plent o' good home-baked wheaten read an' sweet milk an' good fresh buttermilk. There wuz no such thing as 'flu in them days for there wuz plenty o' good strong rum at 4d. a glass that wud kill any germs. Tobaccy wuz only 3d. an ounce an' stout 2d. a bottle, an' ye got cheese an' biscuits free wi' it at Tom Briens' pub in the Millbay.

The Story of Greencastle Fair - and the Castle and it's Ghost

While a wuz in McElroy's at Greencastle me hours were from 5 o'clock in the mornin' till 9 o'clock at night, Hugh told me. The doors wur locked after supper-about half-nine-an' any o' the workers who wusn't in by that time had to be out all night. A used to take an odd run to the town after A finished work an' o' coorse it wuz long after halfnine when A got back. So A used to go into the stable an' lie down in the manger an' pull the hay over me. That an' the oul' mare's breath as she ate the hay kept me warm an' A wuz up in the mornin' at 5 o'clock fresh as a linty picker an' no remarks passed. A stayed in McElroy's for 5 years an' me wages wur £5 a half year.

 "If ye are iiver out at the oul' Castle, just take a look into the stables an' ye might see me name on the oul' manger yit that's if they haven't made alterations since my time, for that's over 60 years ago. If ye drive up to the farmhouse an' go through the gate on the right o' the oul' Castle the first openin' ye come to in the oul' walls o' the Castle wuz the stables. A'm sure there are not many horses there now."

Well, it will interest readers to learn hat we did go out to visit the old Castle and we took Hugh along with us. The first part of the ruins we reached were the stables and sure enough on the wooden manger of the first "stand", almost as fresh as the day he painted it, was the name "HU MARKS." So there was no doubt about it, Marks left his mark for future generations to see. And for a man who declares "A'm no scholar," the big bold block capitals he inscribed could not have been excelled by a University graduate. With Hugh as our guide we climbed to the ramparts of the old Castle, visited the old banqueting hall, the tower and keep, and also the dungeons underneath. An account of the history of Greencastle may be of interest.

History of the Castle

Though the only inhabitants when we visited it were a couple of cows and some pigs, it was once upon a time one of the most important fortresses in Ireland, guarding the entrance to the Kingdom of Mourne, standing sentinel over Carlingford Lough and sharing with the corresponding fort of Carlingford, supported by the Block House in the middle of the Lough, the responsibility of keeping the so-called "wild Irish" in check, and baffling the French when they tried to force the gap of Uladh. It was built by John de Courcey about the year 1264 and was the scene of many a fierce siege between the Anglo Normans and the Irish clans, changing hands several times during those bloody conflicts. It was also besieged by Cromwell's armies and partly demolished by them, but the keep, towers and basement arches are still intact and the historic ruin like a grim sentinel still stands guard over the Kingdom of Mourne.

The late Monsignor J. O'Laverty, M.R.I.A., in his Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, treats of the history of the castle as follows: "It was erected by the early English invaders to guard an entrance to the Lough of Carlingford, and to secure a line of correspondence between the Pale and their out lying possessions in Lecale. A sad eyesore to the native Irish that Anglo-Norman fortress perched on an abrupt rock and flaunting its red cross of St. George in their faces as they looked from their own mountains to the waters of CuanSnamheach, by which name they still loved to call the Lough on which the Norsemen had imposed the outlandish name of Carlingford. The red cross is gone, and the rank grass waves from the ruined keep, but 700 years have not been able to remove 'the Irish enemy'-whose descendants still cling to the soil . . . This castle, with its lands, was one of the many lordships belonging to the powerful Earls of Ulster, the De Burgos or Burkes . . . In 1495 it was considered of such importance that the crown felt it necessary to decree that none but Englishmen by birth were eligible to the office of Governor. In the reign of Edward VI, the castle and lordship of Mourne were granted to Sir Nicholas Bagnell (who was represented by Lord Kilmorey)

. Part of the castle, fitted up for a residence probably by some of the Bagnall family, about the latter portion of the seventeenth century, is at present the residence of Mr. McIlroy. The farm on which the Castle stands is still owned by the McIlroy family.

Archaeologists excavating there a few years ago found nothing but a skull with a bullet hole through it, probably the skull of one of the Cromwellian soldiers or of some one of the defenders of the Castle during the Cromwellian siege. We cannot be certain, but if those grim old wall could only speak, what stories they could tell of doughty deeds of daring from the dim and distant past.

The "Retriever" and "Connemara" Disaster

Our picture shows our esteemed guide, Hugh Marks, looking out towards the old Block House in the middle of Carlingford Lough. He also recalled the worst sea disaster ever to happen off the Northern coast. It was the collision between the S.S. "Retriever",  a collier bound from Garston to Newry and the "Connemara" passenger boat bound from Greenore to Hollyhead. The tragedy occurred about 9 p.m. on the wild stormy night of the 3rd N o v e m b e r , 1916. Ninety-three people perished. Mr. P. Boyle, Warrenpoint, still living, was the one and only survivor from the "Retriever," and there were none at all from the "Connemara." Fifteen of the unclaimed, unidentified bodies were washed up along the shore between Greencastle and Derryogue Point and were buried in the old Kilkeel Churchyard. Captain P. O'Neill, from The Ballagh, near Newcastle, his son Joseph, and his brother-in-law Joseph Donnan who were drowned from the "Retriever", were waked in James Dorman's house in Newry Street, Kilkeel. Capt. O'Neill's wife, formerly Miss Margaret Donnan, was a cousin of Mr. Tom Donnan, Kilkeel.

The Ghost who was Banished for 520 years

Before we left the old Castle, Hugh enquired if we had ever heard the ghost story in connection with it. We admitted we had heard something of this, but didn't know the whole story,

"Well," continued High, "it wuz long before my time an' A don't know it all, but as far as a heerd there wuz a strange boat come into Greencastle pier wan time an' a wee man came ashore an' made his way up to the out' Castle. He didn't come out again but that night at 12 o'clock an' for long after that at the same time ivery night the cattle kept roarin' all night an' burst their tyin's to get out. They near wint mad. The very pots an' pans in the house kept rattlin' an' an old 8-day clock fell aff the wall an' niver 'went' again. Well, the ructions wint on ivery night for a long time and A heerd the oul' people say that there wuz a Council of Clargy got together to lay the ghost. They ordered him to be banished to the Red Sea for 520 years. The ghost pleaded wi' them to throw off the 500 an' make it only 20 an' he wud call again at the end that time, but they stuck to the 520. A suppose there's 120 year o' the time up be now."

Greencastle Fair
 

"Och, Greencastle is an ancient out' place. They used to ship cattle an' horses from it to Greenore an' Hollyhead,  but that's stopped donkey's years ago, more's the pity. An' A suppose ye heerd tell o' Greencastle Fair? A niver wuz at it but A wuz talkin' to them that wuz. There wuz a song about it. Me mother knowed it, God rest her. "Who has had the luck to see Greencastle Fair? A Mourne man all in his glory was there".That's all A know of it, but A think the Mourne man mentioned in the song wuz a man called Dancin' Tam McCartan from the Longstone. He wuz a champion step-dancer, none to touch him. The last fair at Greencastle wuz about 70 years ago. It wuz always held on the 12th August, an' on that mornin' the roads wud be black wi' people from all airts an' parts an' the say wud be black as well wi' all kin's o' wee boats and yawls filled wi' people from Cooley an' roun' there. There wud be great fun wi' the boatmen, wan tryin' to outdo the other in sailin'.

"There wur no end o' tents an' caravans. It wuz mostly in the tents that the dancin' took place an' ye may be sure the music wud ha' been worth a listenin' to-pipers and fiddlers an' fifers. There wur prizes for the best step-dancers, an' they wud ha' danced jigs and reels an' hornpipes an' Irish set dances. There wud ha' been all kinds o' 'kereckters' at the fair, jugglers and spey-men ands ,spey-weemin, an' men sellin' all kin's o' things lek churns and tubs and other wudden veshils that's not used nowadays, an' cloggers sellin' clogs, for nearly ivery man, woman an' wean in Mourne wore clogs in them days, an' then there wur woolen waivers sellin' 'pleadin' an' banyins; nearly all the men wore banyins in them days. In troth ye cud ha' bought iverythin' from a needle to an anchor at Greencastle Fair. An' there wuz lashins an' leavin's o' all kin's o' atin', an' drinkin'. Whiskey at 3d. or 4d. a glass and porter at one and a half pence or 2d. a bottle. The stir lasted to the early hours o' the mornin' an' many an oul' horse or donkey made their way home themselves wi' their owners lyin' 'stocious' in the carts. Och, them wuz the days. It's mebbie just as well drink's not as chape nowa- days or there'd be whole lots wud niver be sober, troth naw.".

The Blind Fiddler

Further light was shed on the Greencastle fair by Mr. James Cunningham, manager of the Bridge Bar, Kilkeel, who remembers his grandmother telling him of the blind fiddler who came across from Cooley every year to play at the fair. This fiddler, who had been blind from birth, attended all the festivals throughout Ireland, and also taught people to play the violin. "I heard my grandmother say," recalled Mr. Cunningham, "that one year when he was fiddling for the dancing competitions he said, 'If Dancing Tom McCartan's alive that's him I'm playing for now.' And so it was.".

We are indebted to Mr. Arthur Doran, Glasdrumman, for a historical note that at one time fairs were held at Greencastle on 1st January and 1st August, and were changed with the new-style calendar to 12th January and 12th August. With the passing of years, the January fair died out, but the August fair survived long after. Mr. Doran has an interesting collection of Mourne ballads, and the following lines are taken from one on the old Greencastle fair :-

"The violin's sweet inspiring tone
Proclaimed that ancient fair,
The dance with Irish brilliance shone
In style unknown elsewhere.".

 The night before the fair lots of people would come over in their little boats to Green Island and rest there for the night, and next morning complete the journey to the fair green. So, with our curiosity aroused, we set off again with Hugh as our guide to see the old fair green. It is about a quarter of a mile on the Cranfield side of Greencastle pier. Right on the beach at the end of the Fair Road, it is convenient to the house of a Mr. Doyle. The place which was once so lively and gay is desolate and forgotten now, and the former dwelling houses are in ruins.

Then we visited the pier, and were pleased to see that improvements have been carried out recently. Above all we were delighted to see the Slieve Foy, one of the Carlingford Lough Co.'s boats, tied up in port. But otherwise the place seemed dead, and Hugh could not help giving a sigh "for the quare times there used to be roun' here." Whereas Massforth Church is seven miles from Greencastle, St. James's Church in Greenore is only 2 and a half  or 3 miles distant across the lough, and prior to the erection of Grange Church in 1926 it was quite common for the local parishioners to go across by boat for prayers in St. James's.

1911 Greencastle Census

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Hilltown

Hilltown takes its present name, not from the surrounding hills, but from the Hill or Downshire family who once held sway in the area. It was earlier known as Eight Mile Bridge and it was here, in 1681 that the reparee Redmond "Count" O'Hanlon, the Irish Robin Hood, was betrayed by his foster-brother for bounty.

A short distance outside the town is the ruin of the ancient Clonduff church which was destroyed during the rebellion of 1641 and only the gable wall still stands. The adjoining graveyard is the burial place of the clan Magennis of Iveagh who took the side of the Irish during the rebellion and as a consequence lost possession of their lands. Beside them lies the remains of John O'Neill, the last descendant of the famous O'Neills of Tyrone. (Incidentally, it was one of the Magennis family whose descendant founded the world-famous brewery in Dublin.)

In the vicinity there is ample evidence of much earlier settlement. In Goward townland, for example, there is Pat Kearney's Big Stone, formerly known as Finn McCool's Fingerstone. It is said that Finn playfully threw the stone from Spelga, a couple of miles away and that his fingermarks are still visible! In the same townland is a horned cairn where the first Neolithic pottery ever to be recovered in Ireland was found.

During the smuggling era of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when the contraband was carried through the mountains, Hilltown was one of the main distribution centres. In 1835 there were twenty-one houses in the town and no fewer than twelve of these were public-houses! A 'Hilltown measure' is still a glass that is full and flowing over! The Downshire Arms has been refurbished and is now a community-owned restaurant.