Loughinisland
Encyclopedia
Loughinisland is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is between Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...

 and Ballynahinch, about 21 miles (34 kilometres) south of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

.

History

The area was the ancient home of the MacCartans. In 1659 there were 17 English/Scots and 7 Catholic families in Loughinisland. There was a school here in 1836.

The Loughinisland massacre took place on 18 June 1994, during "The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

". The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...

 paramilitary group, attacked The Heights Bar with assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...

s, killing six civilians and wounding five. That evening, about 24 people had gathered there to watch a football match. The bar was targeted because those inside were believed to be Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

 and/or Catholics
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...

.

Places of interest

  • Loughinisland Churches
    Loughinisland Churches
    The Loughinisland Churches are the remains of three ruined churches in Loughinisland, County Down, Northern Ireland, dating from the 13th to the 17th centuries. They are situated in Tievenadarragh townland, in a large graveyard on an island in Loughinisland Lake, now reached by a causeway...

     are a group of three ruined churches in a graveyard
    Cemetery
    A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

     on an island
    Island
    An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

     in Loughinisland Lake reached by a causeway
    Causeway
    In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...

    . The churches range in date from the 13th century to the 17th century.
  • Annadorn Dolmen
    Annadorn Dolmen
    Annadorn Dolmen is a dolmen sited at the Buck's Head near Loughinisland, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the north-east shore of Loughinisland Lake, on a hillock overlooking Loughinisland Churches, a group of three ruined churches. The site is a State Care Historic Monument at grid ref:...

     is on the north east shore of Loughinisland Lake, within sight of the Churches. The dolmen
    Dolmen
    A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...

     consists of a slightly displaced capstone
    Capstone
    Capstone may refer to:* Coping , one of the finishing or protective stones that form the top of an exterior masonry wall or building* Capstone , a US government project about cryptographic standards...

     covering a rectangular chamber of which three side stones survive.

People

  • Edward Gribben
    Edward Gribben
    Captain Edward Gribben was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Gribben was commissioned in the Royal Irish Rifles on 4 August 1914. On 1 December, he was promoted to captain. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and was posted to 70 Squadron in early 1917. He flew a...

    , a World War I
    World War I
    World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

     flying ace
    Flying ace
    A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...

    credited with five aerial victories was born in Loughinisland.

Sport

Loughinisland Gaelic Football Club has won the Down GAA Senior Football Championship on two occasions – 1975 and 1989.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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