Loughbrickland ( or ; ) is a small
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
,
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 ...
, south of
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road (Northern Ireland), A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the Civil parishes in Ireland, c ...
on the main
Belfast to Dublin road. In the
2011 Census it had a population of 693. Loughbrickland is within the
Banbridge District
Banbridge was a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The headquarters of the council ...
.
History
Loughbrickland may have been the site where the
Three Collas
The Three Collas ( Modern Irish: Trí Cholla) were, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the fourth-century sons of Eochaid Doimlén, son of Cairbre Lifechair. Their names were: Cairell Colla Uais; Muiredach Colla Fo Chrí ( ...
fought the Battle of
Achadh Leithdheirg in 331 AD, defeating the forces of
Fergus Foga
Fergus or Feargus is a common Scottish or Irish male given name derived from Scots Gaelic, meaning ''the strong (one)'' or ''the masculine (one)''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt ...
,
king of Ulster
The King of Ulster (Old Irish: ''Rí Ulad'', Modern Irish: ''Rí Uladh'') also known as the King of Ulaid and King of the Ulaid, was any of the kings of the Irish provincial over-kingdom of Ulaid. The title rí in Chóicid, which means "king of ...
. The victors killed Fergus and burned
Emain Macha
Navan Fort ( sga, Emain Macha ; ga, Eamhain Mhacha, label=Modern Irish ) is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the cap ...
, the famous palace of the Ultonian kings, to the ground. The sovereignty of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
thus passed from the race of Ir to the race of
Heremon.
John O'Mahony
John Francis O'Mahony (1815 – 7 February 1877) was a Gaelic scholar and the founding member of the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States, sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Despite coming from a reasonably wealthy fa ...
the Gaelic scholar states that the battle site was commemorated by "a huge
Carn
''Carn'' is the official magazine of the Celtic League. The name, a Celtic word which has been borrowed into English as ' cairn', was chosen for its symbolic value and because it can be found in each of the living Celtic languages. The subtit ...
of loose stones near Loughbrickland".
Samuel Lewis (publisher)
Samuel Lewis (c. 1782 – 1865) was the editor and publisher of topographical dictionaries and maps of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The aim of the texts was to give in 'a condensed form', a faithful and impartial description ...
in his "Topographical dictionary of Ireland - County Down" states - "''At Drummillar is a vast cairn of loose stones, 60 feet high and 226 feet in circumference.''" This Carn, known as Carn Cochy in the
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
, stood seventy feet high but appears to have been destroyed when the Scarva to Banbridge
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line was constructed in 1859. What appears to be the Carn can be seen on the image of a 1778 map as a huge pile of stones to the left of the Loughbrickland to Scarva Road, about 2 miles outside Loughbrickland.
Four seventh-century saints are associated with the area: Nasad, Beoan, Ross and Mellan, hermits of Down.
Loughbrickland was a major seat of the Magennises of
Iveagh
Iveagh ( ; ) is the name of several historical territorial divisions in what is now County Down, Northern Ireland. Originally it was a Gaelic Irish territory, ruled by the ''Uí Echach Cobo'' and part of the overkingdom of Ulaid. From the 12th ...
. The Magennis castle was believed to be on the shores of Loughbrickland Lake, although they also inhabited
the crannog on the lake as late as the seventeenth century. The Magennises were succeeded in the Loughbrickland area by Sir Marmaduke Whitechurch. Probably the most prominent developer of the district, Whitechurch established villages, churches, and markets that formed the basis of the local infrastructure. Sir Marmaduke built his castle by the lake, which was subsequently dismantled by
Cromwell's army. The castle remained in ruins until 1812, when they were removed and a dwelling-house was erected on its site. Its exact location has never been accurately identified; possible sites range from the site of the Magennis castle to where the old Aghaderg School now stands to where the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
built their rectory in 1801.
In 1690,
William III camped near Loughbrickland with his army from 14 to 25 June, on his march to the
Boyne. Tradition has it that William stayed overnight at Bovennet house, and mounted his horse from a stone on the corner of the Poyntzpass Road.
Demography
Loughbrickland is classified as a small village or hamlet by the
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA, ga, Gníomhaireacht Thuaisceart Éireann um Staitisticí agus Taighde, links=no) is an executive agency within the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), Department of Finance in No ...
. On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 693 people living in Loughbrickland. Of these:
*99.86% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) ethnic group;
*49.49% belong to or were brought up Catholic and 45.31% belong to or were brought up'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related); and
*51.52% indicated that they had a British national identity, 25.40% had an Irish national identity and 29.29% had a Northern Irish national identity.
*10.57% had some knowledge of Irish;
*4.98% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots; and
*2.11% did not have English as their first language.
Education
*
Loughbrickland Primary School
Loughbrickland ( or ; ) is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, south of Banbridge on the main Belfast to Dublin road. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 693. Loughbrickland is within the Banbridge District.
History
Lo ...
(closed September 2006)
*
New-Bridge Integrated College
New-Bridge Integrated College is an integrated secondary school founded in 1995 for children in Newry and Banbridge, hence the name New(ry)-(Ban)Bridge. New-Bridge was established in the rural village of Loughbrickland, Northern Ireland so that ...
*
St. Francis' Primary School
Places of interest
Notable people
*
Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë (, commonly ; born Patrick Brunty; 17 March 1777 – 7 June 1861) was an Irish Anglican priest and author who spent most of his adult life in England. He was the father of the writers Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, and of ...
(''né'' Brunty), father of the
Brontë sisters and their brother
Branwell, was born in a cottage four miles from Loughbrickland.
*
Dermott Lennon
Dermott Lennon (born 12 June 1969) is an equestrian from Ballinaskeagh, Northern Ireland, who competes in the sport of show jumping.
At the end of December 2011, he was ranked 106th – Ireland's no. 6.
Show jumping career 1999–2000
Der ...
, the 2002
Show Jumping World Champion, is a native of the village.
*
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1 ...
, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Wolverhampton South West
Wolverhampton South West is a constituency created in 1950 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Stuart Anderson of the Conservative Party.
It was represented by the Conservative Party for 47 years after its ...
, lived at 14 Main Street.
*
Helen Mabel Trevor
Helen Mabel Trevor (20 December 1831 – 3 April 1900) was an Irish landscape and genre painter.
Life
Helen Mabel Trevor was born in Lisnagead House, Loughbrickland, County Down, on 20 December 1831. She was the eldest daughter of Edward Hill T ...
, landscape and genre painter, was born in Loughbrickland.
References
{{authority control
Villages in County Down