Glens Of Antrim Historical Society
Formed in 1965 & recognised as one of the foremost Historical Societies in Ireland
(This article first appeared in 1975 in Volume 3 of The Glynns. It is presented here with additional photographs and hyperlinks; also offered is the poem“The Quilting” by native Glens Poet Siobhan ni Luain) Glens Feis, Waterfoot, Glenariffe. My mind goes back seventy years to 1904 and the first Feis in the Glens.One wonders about … Read more
Up until about twenty-five years ago, the mill was a prominent feature in the life of this area of the Middle Glens. Since that time when the last mill ceased to function, they have gradually disappeared. The purpose of this article is to identify and record what information is known about these mills before … Read more
http://www.proni.gov.uk/introduction_antrim_d2977.pdf
An apparently simple family name like Black can present quite a problem of identification. Its very simplicity makes it universal as a descriptive name and even in our small country it can come to us from several sources. In England and Scotland the name can derive from the Old English word “blaec” or “blac” meaning … Read more
(This article first appeared in Volume 5 of The Glynns in 1977, it is presented here with added Hyperlinks and photographs) The Marchioness of Londonderry inherited her Carnlough Estate on the death of her mother, the Countess of Antrim, in 1834. Anne-Catherine MacDonnell, Countess of Antrim (circa. 1798) The Marchioness did not begin … Read more
Killycrappin is one of those private corners of Ireland for which we have no evidence that it has ever been anything else. It is on that part of the steep coast of Antrim which runs from just north of Carnlough to Garron Point and is know as the ‘Largy’. (Leargaidh – the side or … Read more
“Townlands are one of the most dominant, albeit invisible features of our Ulster landscapes. The townland is the smallest administrative division in the country and all other territorial divisions are made up of collections of townlands. They are of great antiquity and there is evidence of their existence before the 12th century. Documents have survived … Read more
Patrick Joseph Murray was born near Cushendun on 8th March 1872 and died in Glasgow, 84 years’ later. During the last war his youngest son asked for an account of his early life, and this followed in a series of letters. The letters have an interest well beyond family history, for they recall an … Read more
The picture of Sorley Boy MacDonnell lighting beacons on the Antrim shore to call up reinforcements from Argyll encourages Glens people to see the relationship between Scotland and the north-east corner of Ireland as one of invasion and eventual occupation. According to this version, the contact begun by ‘gallowglass’ mercenaries from the Isles in the … Read more
An introduction to one of the oldest and most important historical sites in the Glens of Antrim by leading local archaeologist, Dr Colm Donnelly QUB. Malachy Mc Sparran writes in ‘Survey of LAYDE GRAVEYARD’ pub. Glens of Antrim Historical Society…. “The Church is thought to have been founded by the sept McFall and … Read more