Islandmagee ()
is a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
on the east coast of
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, located between the towns of
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
and
Whitehead. It is part of the
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council
Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County A ...
area and is a sparsely populated rural community with a long history since the
mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
period. In the early medieval period it was known as Semne, a petty-kingdom within
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...
.
It is the site of Northern Ireland's main power station
Ballylumford and the endpoint of the
Scotland-Northern Ireland gas pipeline.
History
The name comes from ''Mac Aodha'' (Magee) a prominent Irish family in the area. An earlier Irish name was ''Rinn Seimhne'' (peninsula of (the district of) ''Seimhne'') from an original tribal name.
[
The Bissett family held the tenancy of the peninsula in ]Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
's reign (1558 - 1603), their rent being an annual offering of goshawks, birds which bred on the rugged white chalk cliffs nearby.
At the outset of the Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
, a number of Catholic residents were murdered by Scottish and English troops from the nearby garrison at Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
; despite claims by an anonymous 17th century author that this amounted to "above 3,000 men women and children", the true figure is now thought to have been two dozen. This is alleged to be the first massacre to take place during the rebellion and the War of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 Bis ...
.
In 1711, the Islandmagee witch trial
The Islandmagee witch trial took place in 1710–1711 in Islandmagee, Ireland. It is believed to have been the last witch trial to take place in Ireland.
In March 1711, in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, eight women were put on trial and found guilt ...
resulted in eight women being convicted of witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
and sentenced to a year's imprisonment. The last such trial to take place in Ireland, it is hoped to include these in a new historical tour.
In the 19th century, the first dinosaur fossil bones found on in Ireland were discovered near Islandmagee.
Archaeology
*Islandmagee is the home of the Ballylumford Dolmen
Ballylumford Dolmen is situated on Islandmagee, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, near the north-west tip of the Islandmagee peninsula and near Ballylumford power station. It is known locally as the "Druid's Altar", and could be 4000 years old, or ...
. Known locally as the "Druid's Altar", this megalithic monument could date to 2500 BC (The Early Bronze Age), or be the remains of an earlier Neolithic simple passage tomb dating to c. 4000 BC. It consists of four upright stones, with a heavy capstone and a fallenstone within the structure. The fallenstone may have been put there to block the entrance to the tomb.
*Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
houses have been excavated at Ballyharry
Ballyharry ( ; ) is a townland of 224 acres and an area of archaeological sites on Islandmagee, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where a number of well-preserved Neolithic house sites have been investigated. The townland is situated in the civi ...
, on the Islandmagee peninsula. Finds included Neolithic pottery, flint arrowheads, javelin heads, polished stone axe fragments and quernstones.
*Dinosaur remains were found in the area in the 19th century and in the 20th century. These were the first find of dinosaur fossil bones ever found in Ireland.
Gas storage project
The Gas storage project, owned by famous ship building firm Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the Wh ...
, will consist of 7 caverns storing up to 500 million cubic meters of gas and is the only one in North West Europe to have 'Project of Common Interest' status from the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. The facility is expected to provide 25% of the UK's gas capacity when it is completed.
Sport
*Islandmagee F.C.
Islandmagee Football Club is a Northern Irish intermediate football club from Islandmagee, County Antrim, and playing in the Premier Division of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club plays at Wilbourne Park, Islandmagee. The home strip ...
plays in the Northern Amateur Football League
The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in Northern Ireland. It contains 13 divisions. These comprise four intermediate sections: ...
. Their home is Wilbourne Park and Michael Moore is the current manager.
Civil parish of Island Magee
The peninsula is part of the parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Island Magee. The boundaries of the parish and the peninsula match.
Controversy
The gasline project is the subject of objections, citing "concerns of harm to dolphins, porpoise and whales". This caused the Environment Agency to extend the response time for consultation. In January 2022, the group "No Gas Caverns Islandmagee" confirmed that they have mounted a legal challenge against the project.
There has also been controversy over commemorating the Islandmagee Witch Trials. A local councillor said it would be a 'shrine to paganism'. But others have said it should go ahead. One historian citing "It's a dark event in our history - but it happened. People are fascinated by what happened at the Islandmagee witch trials, and the council could get a lot more tourism value from their interest".
Townlands
The civil parish contains the following townlands:
* Balloo
* Ballycronan Beg
*Ballycronan More
Ballycronan More is a townland of 356 acres in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.
The HVDC Moyle Interconnector is the HVDC link between Auchencrosh, South ...
* Ballydown
*Ballyharry
Ballyharry ( ; ) is a townland of 224 acres and an area of archaeological sites on Islandmagee, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where a number of well-preserved Neolithic house sites have been investigated. The townland is situated in the civi ...
*Ballykeel
Ballykeel (from Irish An Baile Caol, meaning "the narrow townland/farmstead") is a townland, containing a large housing estate off the Crebilly Road in South-East Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland.
History
The Ballykeel estate is di ...
* Ballylumford
*Ballymoney
Ballymoney ( ga, Baile Monaidh , meaning 'townland of the moor') is a small town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated in ...
* Ballymuldrogh
* Ballyprior Beg
* Ballyprior More
*Ballystrudder
Ballystrudder or Ballystruder () is a small village and townland (of 255 acres) on Islandmagee in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Belfast Lower and the civil parish of Islandmagee. It is part of Mid and Ea ...
* Ballytober
*Carnspindle
Carnspindle () is a townland of 217 acres in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.
The small village of Mill Bay is within the townland.
See also
*List of ...
* Castletown
* Cloghfin
* Drumgurland
*Dundressan
Dundressan () is a townland of 255 acres in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.
See also
*List of townlands in County Antrim
In Ireland Counties are di ...
* Gransha
* Kilcoan Beg
* Kilcoan More
*Mullaghboy
Mullaghboy () is a small village and townland (of 251 acres) on Islandmagee in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower. It is within the Larne Borough Council
...
*Mullaghdoo
Mullaghdubh (pronounced Mullaghhdoo and meaning Dark Hill) is a townland in Islandmagee, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The local Mullaghdubh Primary School and Kilcoan Primary School amalgamated to form Islandmagee Primary school.
Reference ...
*Portmuck
Portmuck () is a townland of 235 acres in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Islandmagee and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.
The townland has given its name to a little island just off the coast called I ...
* Temple-effin
See also
*List of civil parishes of County Antrim
In Ireland Counties are divided into civil parishes and parishes are further divided into townlands. The following is a list of civil parishes in County Antrim, Northern Ireland:
__NOTOC__
A
Aghagallon, Aghalee, Ahoghill, Antrim, Ardclinis, ...
References
*
External links
Islandmagee Community website
Islandmagee Community Facebook Page
{{County Antrim
Landforms of County Antrim
Peninsulas of Northern Ireland
Larne