Ouley Hill

History

Chieftains

Chief of the Ander kindred (Ui nDerca Chein), Mac Gilmori, from Oly is noted for assisting William Fitz Warin, seneschal of Ulster, during a rebellion in 1273. He is likely the same person as Dermot, son of Gilla Muire O'Morna, who died in 1276. Another chieftain of that territory with the same name, Mac Gilla Muire, is recorded as having died in 1391 while serving as King of Ui nDerca Chein. Historians believe Ui nDerca Chein refers to the area now known as the barony of Upper Castlereagh in County Down. The name "Oly" is probably a reference to Ouley, a townland in the parish of Saintfield within that barony, which may have been the residence of the chieftain.

Irish Rebellion of 1798

Ouley Hill was the site of an insurgent encampment during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. In June of that year, rebel forces gathered in the area as part of the broader uprising against British rule. The insurgents, numbering over a thousand, were involved in a confrontation with British forces in the area, and the terrain around Ouley Hill, including wooded slopes and elevated ground, provided strategic cover for their ambush in the Battle of Saintfield.

In close proximity to Ouley Hill, in the townland of Lessans, a pike-head was later recovered from the thatched roof of a house. Lessans lies approximately one mile from Saintfield and near the former rebel encampment. This discovery is a notable example of the "pikes in the thatch" tradition, a recurring theme in oral histories of the 1798 Rebellion, referring to the concealment of weapons in rural homes.

Geography

Townlands that border Ouley Hill include:

• Carricknaveagh to the south
• Craignasasonagh to the south
• Drumalig to the west
• Killinure to the west
• Lessans to the east
• Lisdoonan to the north

References

References

1. "Ouley Hill".
2. Goddard H. Orpen, "The Earldom of Ulster: Part IV. Inquisitions Touching Coleraine and Military Tenures (Continued)," The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Sixth Series, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Jun. 30, 1915), pp. 123–142. Published by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25514400 JSTOR link]
3. Gavin Hughes. (2012). "Disaster & Recovery: Institute of Archaeologists in Ireland Conference". Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland.
4. Hughes, G. and Trigg, J. (2011). "Theory and History in Irish Conflict Archaeology, with specific reference to the role of British Crown Forces in the United Irishmen’s Rebellion of 1798". Rosetta, 10: 16–48. Available at: http://www.rosetta.bham.ac.uk/Issue_10/Hughes_and_Trigg.pdf
5. John Grenham. [https://www.johngrenham.com/c_parish/c_parish_main.php?civilparishid=856&county=Down&civilparish=Saintfield&townland=Ouley&townlandid=52660 Ouley in Saintfield civil parish, Down].(Accessed 24 July 2025).
6. ArcGIS Experience. [https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/9b31e0501b744154b4584b1dce1f859b/page/Place-Name-Info#data_s=id%3AdataSource_1-PlaceNames_Gazeteer_No_Global_IDs_9110%3A265%2Cid%3AdataSource_1-PlaceNames_Gazeteer_No_Global_IDs_7367%3A70842%2Cid%3AdataSource_1-PlaceNames_Gazeteer_No_Global_IDs_3734%3A22149 PlacenamesNI.org – Ouley, County Down (Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, Tionscadal Logainmneacha, Thuaisceart Eirann)]. (Accessed 24 July 2025).