Tievenadarragh

Places of interest

The Loughinisland Churches are located in Tievenadarragh. They consist of the remains of three ruined churches from the 13th to the 17th centuries and a graveyard. Located on an island in Loughinisland Lake, they are accessible by a causeway. The churches have been designated state-care historic monuments at grid ref: J4234 4537.

Archaeology

Mass rock

A mass rock is recorded on the eastern side of Bishop's Mountain. Historical accounts describe the site as a prominent mass rock constructed on the face of a quarry, featuring an imported flat stone incised with a cross used as an altar table, with additional crosses carved into the surrounding rock. The field below is traditionally known as the "altar field." The site is marked on the second edition (1860) and subsequent Ordnance Survey six-inch maps. Despite its documented location, the stone could not be located during a site visit in 1992, and the parish priest residing nearby was also unable to identify it. The area is associated with Bishop Dr. McCartan (1760–1778) and Dominican friar Fr. Murtough Burns, who officiated locally and died in 1757.

Tievenadarragh Cashel

The remains of a cashel are located on the southern slope of Bishop's Mountain in County Down, approximately 200 metres south of the summit, which is marked by an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar at 427 feet above sea level. The site lies at an elevation of approximately 400 feet and is recorded under grid reference J408463. The cashel consists of a circular enclosure approximately 33 metres in diameter, defined by a collapsed drystone wall up to 0.75 metres in height and around 4 metres in width. The wall is largely continuous, with a gap on the southern side measuring approximately 6 metres, interpreted as an entrance. The interior is uneven, with scattered stones and natural rock outcrops. The site is overgrown with whin, which impedes access.

Tievenadarragh Rath

The Rath is a small circular enclosure located approximately 400 metres north of Loughinisland situated on the crest of a moderately high ridge, offering views to the west where a taller ridge is visible. The site lies within pasture fields bounded by drystone walls and hedged with quickthorn and whin scrub. It is recorded under grid reference J427461. The enclosure measures approximately 23 metres from north to south and 24.3 metres from east to west. The interior is slightly dish-shaped with a low, circular rise at the centre. The internal bank is largely intact around the perimeter, with an interior height of 1.25 metres, an exterior height of 1.75 metres, and a width of 5 metres. Stone revetment is present on the outer face of the bank on the western side. There is a 4-metre-wide entrance on the southern side, which may be of modern origin, and a narrow footpath entrance created by livestock on the northern side. Visual evidence of a ditch survives along the south-eastern perimeter, measuring approximately 2.5 metres in width, 1.75 metres below the top of the bank, and 0.5 metres below the surrounding field level.

Gallery

File:Tievenadarragh forest (1) - geograph.org.uk - 798824.jpg|Tievenadarragh Wood File:Loughinisland Lake near Downpatrick - geograph.org.uk - 376850.jpg|a view of Loughinisland Lake in Tievenadarragh

Geography

Townlands that border Tievenadarragh include:

• Annadorn to the east
• Castlenavan to the south
• Drumaness to the west
• Drumgooland to the east
• Magheralone to the north
• Seavaghan to the east

References

References

1. "Tievenadarragh".
2. "Tievenadarragh".
3. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. (1983). "Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland". HMSO.
4. (June 2018). "Tievenadarragh". State Care Historic Monuments.
5. "Sites and Monuments Record: DOW 037:003". Department for Communities (Northern Ireland).
6. "The Altar: Ordnance Survey Six-Inch Map: Down Sheet 37 (Revised 1901, Published 1904)". National Library of Scotland.
7. O'Laverty, James (1878). ''An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern''. Dublin: J. Duffy. p. 97. [https://archive.org/details/anhistoricalacc05olagoog/mode/2up?q=Tievenadarragh Available online at the Internet Archive]
8. [https://maps.nls.uk/view/247667736#zoom=7.3&lat=1737&lon=3420&layers=BT ''The Cashel: OS Six-inch Ireland, 1829–1969: Down - Sheet 30'']. National Library of Scotland. Revised 1900–1901, published 1904. Map size: 61 × 92 cm on sheet ca. 70 × 100 cm.
9. [https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/NISMR-PUBLIC/docs/DOW/DOW_030/DOW_030_009/Public/SM7-DOW-030-009.pdf ''Sites and Monuments Record: DOW 030:009'']. Department for Communities (Northern Ireland). Northern Ireland Sites & Monuments Record. Accessed 7 August 2025.
10. "Sites and Monuments Record: DOW 030:008". Department for Communities (Northern Ireland).
11. [https://maps.nls.uk/view/247667736#zoom=7.2&lat=1143&lon=6096&layers=BT ''The Rath: OS Six-inch Ireland, 1829–1969: Down - Sheet 30'']. National Library of Scotland. Revised 1900–1901, published 1904. Map size: 61 × 92 cm on sheet ca. 70 × 100 cm.
12. John Grenham. [https://www.johngrenham.com/c_parish/c_parish_main.php?civilparishid=847&county=Down&civilparish=Loughinisland&townland=Tievenadarragh&townlandid=60333 Tievenadarragh in Loughinisland civil parish, Down].(Accessed 7 August 2025).
13. 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%3A21934 PlacenamesNI.org – Tievenadarragh, County Down (Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, Tionscadal Logainmneacha, Thuaisceart Eirann)]. (Accessed 7 August 2025).