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Hilltown takes it name not from its
location in the foothills of the Mourne
Mountains, but from the Hill family who came to Ireland with the army
of Elizabeth I, the family were later ennobled becoming Lord Downshire,
in earlier times it was known as Eight Mile Bridge, from the bridge which
crossed the River Bann.
Prior to the plantation the area
was the domain of the Magennis clan of Iveagh, who controlled much of
Mourne and beyond, near the town stands a gaunt gable wall, all that remains
of Clonduff church which was destroyed in the 1641 rebellion. The graveyard
of this church is the burial place of the Magennis's, it is also said
to hold the remains of John O'Neill, the last of the Tyrone O'Neill's.
Evidence of early human habitation
is to be found in the townland of Goward 'Pat
Kearney's Big Stone' formerly known as Finn Mc Cool's Fingerstone.Finn
is reputed to have thrown the stone from Spelga, about two miles
away and that his finger marks are still to be seen on it.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
smuggling was very prevalent on the County Down coast, one of the
many routes taken by the smugglers was through the mountains from
the coast to Hilltown, from where the contraband was distributed
to the heart of the country. The mountain trail became known as
'The Brandy Pad' and today is a popular route for hikers. In 1835
Hilltown had twenty one houses, twelve of which were public houses,
today there are not so many, however you will be assured of a warm
welcome, particularly at the Downshire Arms.
The town of Hilltown holds the annual Boley
Fair, this years (2010) is the 25th. The word boley comes from
the Irish for a dairy place, it was the tradition that the younger
members of the family took the cattle and sheep to the mountains
and stayed with them during the summer. A Boley hut was usually
constructed to supply cover in bad weather, I wonder how many children
today would want to camp out on the mountains herding animals and
how many parents would be happy to let them, how times change. |
| Tourist
Information
Read about the Village
of Hilltown from Samuel Lewis' Topographical Directory of Ireland
published in 1837.
Tourist
Information
Town Hall
Bank Parade
Newry
BT35 6HR
Co Down
Tel +44 (0)28 3026 8877
E Mail
Web Site
From the South replace 028 with 048 |
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