Porthall
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Porthall () is a village and
townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
in
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
, Ireland. The village is located on the west bank of the
River Foyle The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...
, in The Laggan district of East Donegal, on the R265 road. The nearest town is
Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...
, the
county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
.


History


Battle of Binnion Hill

The Battle of Binnion Hill was fought in 1557 just a short distance from Porthall, approx. 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) North West. The battle came about when John O’Neill, the Grandson of Con O’Neill assembled an army to attack Tirconnell, modern day
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
. O’Neill's plan was to defeat
Manus O'Donnell Manus O'Donnell (Irish: ''Maghnas Ó Domhnaill'' or ''Manus Ó Domhnaill'', died 1564) was an Irish lord and son of Sir Hugh Dubh O'Donnell. He was an important member of the O'Donnell dynasty based in County Donegal in Ulster. Early life Hug ...
from the Kinel-Connell and thus be the only King in
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 ...
. On the O’Neills side were people from Oriel, modern day Counties
Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
, Louth and
Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
and from
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
,
County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, also part of O’Neill's army was Hugh O’Donnell (brother of Calvagh) and his followers. The Kinel-Connell was in turmoil at this time as
Calvagh O'Donnell Calvagh O'Donnell (Irish language, Irish: ''Calbhach Ó Domhnaill''; born c. 1515 - died 26 November 1566), eldest son of Manus O'Donnell, was an Irish King of Tyrconnell of the mid-16th century. He was Rí, king and chief of the O'Donnell dynas ...
had his father locked up for two years so that he himself could be ruler of the O’Donnells and O’Donnell lands. Calvagh, unsure of what to do in the event of an attack from the O’Neills consulted with his father who advised not to attack the O’Neills but to wait until they crossed the river and then to attack their camp at Carraig Laith (Carrickalee,
Strabane Strabane ( ; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Strabane had a population of 13,172 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the east bank of the River Foyle. It is roughly midway from Omagh, Derry and Letterkenny. The River Foyle marks ...
, County Tyrone). Carraig Laith is close to where the two rivers meet to create the
River Foyle The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...
. O’Neill and his army left their camp in Tyrone, crossing the River Finn and marched towards
Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...
then along the Laggan to a place called Baile-aighidh-chaoin, where they set up a new camp. This is now known as Balleeghan townland, close to the banks of
Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen, Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glaci ...
in Raymoghy Parish. Calvagh was at a meeting on the summit of Bennin (Binnion). Others with Calvagh were his son Con and Walter McSweeney who had brought two companies of
gallowglass The Gallowglass (also spelled galloglass, gallowglas or galloglas; from ga, gallóglaigh meaning foreign warriors) were a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland between the mid 13t ...
es of the McSweeneys of
Fanad Fanad (official name: Fánaid) is a peninsula that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. The origins of the name Fanad are lost in time thought there is some speculation that the name derives from ...
. Also there was Donnell Gorm McSweeney and his followers who were the descendants of Donnell. Two members of Calvagh's party were sent to spy on the O’Neill camp and report back to Calvagh at Binnion. On hearing the testimony of the spying mission Calvagh decide to attack John O’Neill and his forces at his camp immediately. The troops of Calvagh numbering two battalions marched on the O’Neill camp and began killing and slaughtering all before them. John O’Neill on hearing the commotion in his camp realised that he was under attack and fearing for his life slipped out of the back of his tent. Two other people escaped with O’Neill that night, Hugh O’Donnell (son of Manus) and Donough O’Gallagher (son of Felim Finn). The three men in their retreat back into Tyrone had to cross the River Deele, River Finn and the River Derg by swimming across them and as it had been raining heavily that night the rivers were very swollen, making it even more dangerous. On reaching Tearmonn-Ui-Moain, he bought a horse and made his way to Aireagal-da-Chiarog by morning. Meanwhile, back at the battle site Calvagh and his men were in high spirits and enjoying the spoils of war. In the morning when the booty was being divided up Con (son of Calvagh) got as his portion eighty horses, the prize of all the horses was Shane O'Neill’s (son of John) own horse called ‘The Son of the Eagle’. It is said that the spoils from the battle were the most from any battle between the O’Neills and O’Donnells.


Historical buildings

Port Hall, after which the village is named, is located on the west bank of the
River Foyle The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...
. Built in the mid 18th century in the Georgian style, it was once owned by Tony Marreco. Mr Marreco was Junior Counsel at the
Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...
just after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He later became a founding director of
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
. Port Hall is now a stud farm situated on the northern end of the village. Long Vale House (previously known as Clonfade), parts of which were built in 1611, is one of the oldest houses in
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
. It was built by a Thomas Keyes who served under Sir Richard Hansard, and when Hansard was appointed Governor of Lifford, Thomas Keyes received from him a plot of land on which to build a house. This land was Clonfade. Thomas Keyes was
High Sheriff of Londonderry City The High Sheriff of Londonderry City, or High Sheriff of Derry, is the sovereign's judicial representative in the city of Derry. High Sheriff of Londonderry is a title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act ...
in 1623 and owner of the estate of Clonfade, after which the house is named. It is now known as The Hall Green. The house is located on the outskirts of the village on the R265 road to
Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...
. Mongevlin Castle (also known as
Mongavlin Castle Mongavlin Castle also known as Mongevlin Castle is a ruined castle on the west bank of the River Foyle, approx 3 km south of St Johnston, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was once a stronghold of the O'Donnell dynasty, O'Don ...
) is a ruined castle which lies on the west bank of the
River Foyle The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...
, approx 4 km north of Porthall. In the sixteenth century Mongevlin was the chief residence of Ineen Dubh, she was the daughter of MacDonnell, Lord of the Isles and mother of
Red Hugh O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell (Irish: ''Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill''), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell (30 October 1572 – 10 September 1602), was a sixteenth-century leader of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. He became Chief of the Name of Clan O'Donn ...
. The State Paper recording her possession of the castle: "From Cul-Mac-Tryan runs a bogg three myles in length to the side of Lough Foyle in the midst of the bog is a standing loughe called Bunaber here at Bunaber dwells O'Donnell's mother (Ineen Dubh M'Donnell). Three miles above Cargan stands a fort called McGevyvelin (Mongivlin) upon the river of
Lough Foyle Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle ( or "loch of the lip"), is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over ...
O'Donnell's mother's chief house". The castle was recorded by Captain Nicholas Pynnar in his Survey of the Escheated Counties of Ulster in 1619 where he wrote that Sir John Stewart had built a very strong castle at ‘Magerlin’ with a flanker at each corner. There had been a flag stone over the archway with the inscription 'J.S.-E.S.T.-1619' which went missing in the early eighteenth century. Though the account that the castle had been completed in 1619 is contradicted by a later Survey (in 1622) of the Escheated Counties of Ulster that reads; Sir John Stuart, assignee of the
Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenn ...
‘has built a castle of lime and stone on the banks of the River Foyle 50’ x 25’ x 3½ stories, slated, with 4 flankers at the top thereof. And an iron door portcullis wise; the principal timber and joists of the floor being oak are laid but not boarded or the partitions made, the iron grates for the windows being within the castle ready to be set up’. There is a wonderful pencil drawing showing the castle at that time availabl
here
King James visited here on his way to the
siege of Derry The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by a first attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates ...
in 1689. From here he sent a letter proposing surrender, it was rejected. The castle later became the property of The Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton whose eldest son,
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
,
Earl of Abercorn Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
, and
Viscount Strabane A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
erected a plaque in her memory in 1704. The castle is now in ruins with only a small proportion of it left standing.


Porthall railway station

Porthall railway station opened on 1 May 1848 and was part of the Great Northern Railway of Ireland system which ran from Belfast Great Victoria Street to Foyle Road railway station in Derry City via
Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
,
Dungannon Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...
,
Omagh Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. North ...
,
Victoria Bridge Victoria Bridge may be a reference to: Bridges ;Australia * Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, a road bridge across the Brisbane River in Brisbane * Victoria Bridge, Devonport a road ridge across the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania * Victoria Bridge, M ...
,
Strabane Strabane ( ; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Strabane had a population of 13,172 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the east bank of the River Foyle. It is roughly midway from Omagh, Derry and Letterkenny. The River Foyle marks ...
, Porthall and St. Johnston. Goods trains stopped running via the station on 4 January 1965 with the line and station finally closing on 15 February 1965. The nearest station is located in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
in the Waterside at
Londonderry railway station Londonderry railway station, known commonly as Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, ...
with trains provided by
Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent ...
. Trains to and from
Londonderry railway station Londonderry railway station, known commonly as Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, ...
run via the coast to
Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
and
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
and Antrim en route to
Belfast Great Victoria Street station Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the Belfast City Centre, city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with , and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the other ...
.


Demographics

The population of Porthall at the 2011 census of Ireland was 253, and of this 130 were males and 123 were females.


Education

Scoil Bhríde, Boyagh National School, was first called Porthall National School and was opened in 1836 by way of a free lease granted in 1825 by a local landlord called Mr. Dougherty from Redcastle and the local
Land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large estate (house), landed estate for a member of the landed gentry, supervising the farmi ...
Mr. Clarke. The first teacher at the school was a Patrick Conway who earned £4, 0s, ½p per year. Trustees of the school were Mr. C.B. Hamilton and Mr. John McColgan. In 1886 the school was renamed Boyagh National School. The school was taken over by the Irish Department of Education in 1934. Today Scoil Bhríde consists of two multi-grade classrooms. In 2011 the school attendance was thirty-five pupils. Various subjects taught in the school include
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, English,
Maths Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and Drama. The school is a mainstream primary school under the
patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a ...
.


Notable people

*
Anthony Marreco Anthony (Tony) Freire Marreco (9 August 1915 – 4 June 2006) was a British barrister. He was Junior Counsel at the Nuremberg trials, and later a founding director of Amnesty International. He was also known for his romantic liaisons, marrying ...
, founding director of
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
and Junior Counsel at the
Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...
at the end of World War II.
http://anthonymarreco.com/personal.html


See also

*
List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland This is a link page for cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland, including townships or urban centres in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and other major urban areas. Cities are shown in bold; see City status in Ireland for a ...


References

{{County Donegal Towns and villages in County Donegal Townlands of County Donegal