MAGHERA

MAGHERA, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S. W.) from Castlewellan, on the road from Bryansford to Downpatrick; containing 1514 inhabitants, of which number, 167 are in the village. This parish, which is bounded on the east by a branch of the inner bay of Dundrum, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 3214¼ statute acres, of which 2384 are applotted under the tithe act. The soil is various; in some parts extremely fertile, and in others sandy, with detached portions of marsh and bog; the marshy grounds afford good pasture. The principal seats are Tollymore, that of Mrs. I. Keowen, and Church Hill, of the Misses Montgomery, both handsome residences. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Bishop, to whom the rectory is appropriate: the tithes amount to £210, of which £130 is payable to the see, and the remainder to the vicar. The glebe comprises 19¼ statute acres, valued at £36 per annum. The church, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £830. 15. 4½., in 1825, is a small neat edifice, about a quarter of a mile from the village. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Bryansford, or Lower Kilcoo. About 40 children are educated in the parochial school, which was founded in 1826, by the late J. Keowen, Esq., who built the school-house on the glebe, and endowed it with £5 per ann.; and at Tollymore is a neat school-house, built and supported by Mrs. Keowen, in which about 50 children are gratuitously instructed and some of the females clothed. There are also two Sunday schools. Near the church are the ruins of the ancient church, of which the western gable and the south wall remain; the beautiful Norman arch at the western entrance is in good preservation; the windows in the south wall are narrow and of elegant design. Near the new church also are the remains of an ancient round tower, the upper part of which, from the height of 20 feet above the base, was thrown down by a storm in 1704, and lay in an unbroken column on the ground; the doorway, in that portion which is still erect, is towards the east and about 7 feet from the ground. About a mile from the church are the remains of a large cromlech, the table stone of which is supported on three upright pillars; in a narrow lane to the west is an upright stone, 13 feet high and having 5 sides; and in an adjoining field is a large block of granite, capped with a conical stone of grauwacke.

MAGHERADROLL

MAGHERADROLL, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, but chiefly in that of KINELEARTY, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Dromore to Saintfield; containing, with the post-town of Ballinahinch (which is separately described), 7530 inhabitants. This parish, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises 12,552 statute acres, of which 6285 are in the barony of Lower Iveagh, and the remainder in Kinelearty; 176 3/4 acres are water, and of the remainder, about two-thirds are land of the richest quality and in the highest state of cultivation; the other portion, though inferior, is still fertile, and there is scarcely any waste land. Slate of excellent quality is found in the townland of Ballymacarne, but not worked. Nearly in the centre of the parish is Montalto, formerly the seat of the Earl of Moira, by whom it was built, and now the property and occasional residence of D. Kerr, Esq.: the mansion is spacious and the demesne extensive. During the disturbances of 1798, a party of the insurgents took up a position in the park, from which they were driven by the king's forces with great loss. The weaving of linen, cotton, and muslin is carried on extensively, and there are two large bleach-greens in the parish. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Bishop, to whom the rectory is appropriate: the tithes amount to £775. 3. 8 1/2., of which £200 is payable to the vicar, and the remainder to the bishop. The glebe-house, towards which the late Board of First Fruits granted a gift of £400 and a loan of £400, in 1817, is a handsome residence; and the glebe comprises 42 acres, valued at £86 per annum, and some gardens let to labourers at £5 per annum. The church, built in 1830 at an expense of £850 advanced on loan by the same Board, is a neat edifice with a tower and spire, and is situated close to the town of Ballinahinch. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Dunmore, or Maghera-Hamlet; the chapel at Ballinahinch is a large and handsome edifice. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class, and with the Seceding Synod, of the first and second classes. About 650 children are taught in seven public schools; the parochial school-house was built in 1824, by aid of a grant from the lord-lieutenant's school fund; and there are six private schools, in which are about 180 children, and six Sunday schools. The late S. M. Johnstone, Esq., bequeathed one-third of the profits of a work entitled the, "Medley," published in 1802, amounting to about £4. 3. 4. per annum, which is annually distributed among the poor at Christmas. There are some remains of the ancient church, about a mile from the town, with a large cemetery, in which are interred several of the ancient and powerful family of the Magennises of Kilwarlin.

MAGHERA-HAMLET

MAGHERA-HAMLET, an ecclestical, district, in the barony of KINELEARTY, county of Down, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Ballynahinch, on the road from Dundrum to Dromore; containing 3223 inhabitants. This district, formerly called Templemoile, and sometimes Kilwilk, is situated within a mile of the Ballynahinch baths, and comprises 1844 statute acres, of which 753 are mountainous, and of the remainder, which is tolerably good land, a small portion is rocky pasture the system of agriculture is improving. There are quarries of good slate, and of building stone, which is raised chiefly for building and for the roads. Part of the Slieve Croob mountain is within its limits, and in it is the source of the river Lagan, which, after flowing by Dromore and Lisburn, discharges itself into Belfast lough. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Prebendary of Dromaragh; the stipend arises from the tithes of 1200 acres applotted under the act, amounting to £75, and an augmentation of £23. 2. from Primate Boulters fund. The glebe-house, towards which the late Board of First Fruits gave £450 and granted a loan of £50, was built in 1830; the glebe comprises 7 acres, bought by the same Board from Col. Forde, for £450, and subject to a rent of £7. 7. The church, a neat edifice with a square tower, situated at the extremity of the district, with a view to accommodate the visiters of Ballynahinch spa, was erected at a cost of £500, wholly defrayed by the late Board of First Fruits, in 1814. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recommended, on the next avoidance of the prebend of Dromaragh, that the townlands now forming the perpetual curacy be separated from the prebend and formed into a distinct benefice. In the R. C. divisions this is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Magheradroll and Anahilt, and called also the union of Dunmore, in which are two chapels, one at Dunmore in this district, and one at Ballynahinch, in that of Magheradroll. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the third class. About 150 children are taught in a school supported by Col. Forde, who also built the school-house; and there are three private schools, in which are about 200 children, and three Sunday schools. At Dunmore is an extensive deer-park, the property of Col. Forde, encompassed by a wall.

MAGHERALIN

MAGHERALIN, or MARALIN, a parish, partly in the barony of ONEILLAND EAST, county of ARMAGH, but chiefly in that of LOWER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 1½ mile (S. W.) from Moira, on the river Lagan, and at the junction of the roads from Armagh to Belfast, from Moira to Lurgan, and from Banbridge to Antrim; containing 5058 inhabitants. Here stood the monastery of Linn Huachuille, (one townland in the parish being yet called by that name), the remains of which are by some thought to be the massive walls on the north side of the churchyard; it was founded by St. Colman, or Mocholmoc, who died in 699. The ancient palace of the bishops of Dromore was close to the village, on the site now occupied by the parochial school; the last prelate who resided in it was the celebrated Jeremy Taylor. The parish contains, according to the Ordnance survey, 8293½ statute acres, of which 486¼ are in the county of Armagh, and the remainder in the county of Down. The lands are all in tillage, with the exception of a proportion of meadow and about 200 acres of exhausted bog, which latter is fast being brought into cultivation: the system of agriculture is improved. Here are extensive quarries of limestone and several kilns, from which lime is sent into the counties of Antrim, Armagh, and Down; this being the western termination of the great limestone formation that rises near the Giant's Causeway. There are also good quarries of basalt much used in building, which dresses easily under the tool; and coal and freestone are found in the parish, but neither has been extensively worked. A new line of road has been formed hence to Lurgan, a distance of 2½ miles, and an excavation made through the village. An extensive establishment at Springfield, for the manufacture of cambrics, affords employment for 250 persons; and at Militown a bleach-green annually finishes upwards of 10,000 pieces for the English market. The principal seats are Grace Hall, the residence of C. Douglass, Esq.; Drumnabreagh, of M. Stothard, Esq.; Newforge, of Cosslett Waddell, Esq.; Springfield, of J. Richardson, Esq.; Kircassock, of J. Christie, Esq.; and the rectory, of the Rev. B. W. Dolling. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, forming the corps of the precentorship of Dromore, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £453. 1. 7., exclusively of a moiety of the tithes of four townlands in the parish of Donaghcloney amounting to £17. 19.; the gross value of the precentorship, tithes and glebe inclusive, is £684. 17. There is an excellent glebe-house on a glebe of 66 acres, valued at £138. 12. 0. per annum. The church is an ancient edifice, having a tower and low spire, and has lately been repaired at a considerable expense; it was long used as the cathedral of Dromore, and the bishop's throne yet remains in it. In the R. C. divisions this parish, Moira, and Aghalee form the union or district of Moira; it contains a chapel. About 280 children are educated in four public schools, of which the parochial school in the village is aided by an annual donation of £10 from the incumbent; the school-house is large and commodious, with a residence for the master, and was erected at an expense of £350. There are also schools at Rampark and Grace Hall, the former built and supported by C. Douglass, Esq., and the latter, for females, by Mrs. Douglass. In six private schools about 220 children are educated. The late Mr. Douglass, of Grace Hall, made a charitable bequest for clothing the poor in winter; and there are some minor charities. A sulphureous chalybeate spring on the lands of Newforge, is said to equal in efficacy the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle.

MAGHERALLY

MAGHERALLY, a parish, in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (E.) from Banbridge, on the road to Downpatrick; containing 3189 inhabitants. This parish, called also Magherawley, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 5243¾ statute acres, of which 22½ are water, and the remainder, with the exception of about 150 acres of bog, good arable and pasture land; the soil is fertile, and the system of agriculture improving. The principal seats are Tullyhenan, the residence of J. Lindsay, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. M. Sampson. Many of the inhabitants are employed in weaving linen for the manufacturers at Banbridge. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, the rectory forming part of the union of Aghaderg and of the corps of the deanery of Dromore, and the vicarage in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £190. 14. 6., of which £60. 10. is payable to the dean, and £130. 4. 6. to the vicar; the gross revenue of the benefice, including tithes and glebe, and an augmentation from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of £31. 8. 0, is £191. 12. 6. The glebe-house was built in 1780, at an expense of £276. 18. 5½., of which one-third was a gift from the late Board of First Fruits, and the remainder paid by the incumbent; the glebe comprises 20 acres, valued at £30 per ann., held under the see of Dromore at 5s. per annum. The church, a small but handsome modern edifice with a tower and spire, towards which the late Board of First Fruits gave £276. 18. 5½., is situated on an eminence. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Tullylish. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class. About 160 children are taught in the parochial school, built in 1828, and now in connection with the New Board of Education; since that period schools have been established at Corbet, Ballymoney, and Mullaghfernaghan. There are also three private schools, in which are about 960 children. Numerous forts are scattered over the parish, but they are rapidly disappearing in consequence of the advancement of agriculture.

MOIRA

MOIRA, MOYRAGH, or ST. INNS of MOIRA, anciently called MOIRATH, a post-town and parish, in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 13 miles (S. W.) from Belfast, on the road to Armagh, and 71½ (N.) from Dublin; containing 3801 inhabitants, of whom 787 are in the town. In 637, a sanguinary battle between the exiled Congal Cloan and Donald, King of Ireland, is said to have been fought here, which terminated in the defeat of Congal. The parish, which is on the river Lagan and the Belfast and Lough Neagh canal, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 6096¼ statute acres, all rich arable land, under an excellent system of cultivation. It is at the western termination of a ridge of white limestone; there are many kilns always at work, and vast quantities of the stone in its natural state are annually sent away by the canal, and by land carriage, to distant parts. There are also quarries of excellent basalt, in great request for building; freestone is found of superior quality; and there are thin seams of coal in several parts, which are not worked. An excellent line of road has recently been opened hence to Lisburn, and other improvements are in progress. Moira was at one time celebrated for the manufacture of linen, large quantities having been made, sold, and bleached in the town and neighbourhood. oits improvement was greatly attributable to the fostering care of Sir John Rawdon, and to the first Earl of Moira, who gave premiums, and otherwise encouraged the manufacture; but it has long been on the decline, and little is done in the market, the brown webs being chiefly sent to the market of Lisburn: yet there are some extensive manufacturers in and near the parish, who give out the yarn as piecework. The town, though small, is well built, and remarkably clean; it is the property of Sir R. Bateson, Bart., and consists of one long spacious street, containing a court-house, a large handsome building, erected by the proprietor, in which a manor-court is held, every three weeks, for the recovery of debts under £5, by civil bill and attachment; petty sessions are also held here on alternate Mondays, and it is a constabulary police station. Fairs take place on the first Thursday in February, May, Aug., and Nov., for black cattle, pigs, agricultural produce, pedlery, &c. The principal seats are Waringfield, the residence of T. Waring, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. W. H. Wynne. The Moira demesne is very extensive and well wooded, possessing many large and rare trees planted by the first Earl of Moira, with a noble avenue leading to the site of the castle, long since demolished: the demesne is now the property of Sir R. Bateson, whose residence is at Be!voir Park, in the adjoining county of Antrim.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £351. 15. 7. The glebe comprises 17 acres, valued at £51 per ann.; the glebe-house, a handsome building, was erected in 1799, at an expense of £710. 3., British currency. This was formerly part of the parish of Magheralin, and was made a distinct parish about 1725, shortly after which the church was erected, at the joint expense of Sir John Rawdon and the Earl of Hillsborough: it is a large and handsome Gothic edifice, with a square tower surmounted by a spire, in excellent repair, and, from its situation on an eminence above the town, forming a beautiful object in this rich and well-planted district. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a district, comprising Moira, Magheralin, and Aghalee; in the two former are chapels. There is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Remonstrant Synod, of the third class; also one for those of the Seceding Synod, of the second class; and there are places of worship for Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists. There are parochial schools at Moira and Lurganville, supported by Sir R. Bateson, Bart., and the rector; a school for females at Moira, established in 1820 by Lady Bateson, who built the school-house, a large and handsome edifice with a residence for the mistress attached, and by whom also the children are principally clothed; and at Battier is a national school. These schools afford instruction to about 200 children: in a private school are about 80 children, and there is also a Sunday school. The interest of £200, equally bequeathed by Jasper and Samuel Waring, Esqrs., is distributed by the churchwardens to the poor housekeepers of this parish. The first Earl of Moira bequeathed a sum of money, which, with some other legacies, amounts to nearly £400, the interest of which is annually distributed among poor housekeepers. Moira gives the inferior title of Earl to the Marquess of Hastings; the castle was formerly the family residence, and was the birth.place of the late Marquess, whose father was buried here. He is said to have had the largest funeral procession ever seen in Ireland; it was attended by upwards of 800 carriages of various kinds, with a train of 4000 people, among whom 2000 hatbands scarfs were distributed.