Clonmany () is a village and civil parish in north-west Inishowen, in County Donegal, Ireland. The Urris valley to the west of Clonmany village was the last outpost of the Irish language in Inishowen. In the 19th century, the area was an important location for poitín distillation. Outside the village, there are a number of notable townlands, including Kinnea (Rockstown), Crossconnell, Dunaff, and Leenan.
Name The name of the village in Irish, Cluain Maine, has been translated as both "the meadow of (St) Maine" and "the meadow of the monk(s)". The former is the more widely recognised translation. The village is known locally as "The Cross", as the village was initially built around a crossroads.
History The parish was home to a monastery that was founded by St Columba. It was closely associated with the Morrison family, who provided the role of erenagh. The monastery possessed the Míosach, an 11th-century copper and silver shrine, now located in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.Mullarkey, Paul. In: Moss, Rachel. Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland. Yale University Press, 2014. pp. 302-303.
The village is sometimes claimed to be the youngest in Inishowen. The 18th-century travel writer, Richard Pococke, did not mention the village when he toured the area in 1752. The village is mentioned in Topographia Hibernica, published in 1795. It did not feature in the census of 1841 or 1851. In the 1861 census, 112 inhabitants are recorded as living in Clonmany in 21 houses. A further 3 houses are recorded as uninhabited.
Poitin Republic of Urris In the early 19th century, Urris - a valley three miles west of Clonmany - became a centre of the illegal poitín distillation industry. The Urris Hills were an ideal place for poitín-making. The area was surrounded by mountains and only accessible through Mamore Gap and Crossconnell. Notwithstanding its remote location, Derry was about 16 miles away, providing a major market for the trade. To protect their lucrative business, the locals barricaded the road at Crossconnell to keep out revenue police, thus creating the "Poitin Republic of Urris". This period of relative independence lasted three years. But in 1815, the authorities re-established control of the Urris Hills and brought this short period of self-rule to an end.
1840 earthquake In 1840, the village experienced an earthquake, a comparatively rare event in Ireland. The shock was also felt in the nearby town of Carndonagh. The Belfast News Letter from Tuesday, 28 January 1840 reported that "In some places those who had retired to rest felt themselves shaken in their beds, and others were thrown from their chairs, and greatly alarmed."Belfast Newsletter 1738-1938, Tuesday, 28 January 1840; Page: 4
The "Waterloo Priest" Fr. William O'Donnell, also known as the "Waterloo Priest", was a prominent figure in the Parish of Clonmany from 1829 to 1853. Born in Cockhill, Buncrana in 1779, he initially declined the opportunity to become a priest after graduating from Maynooth College. Instead, he joined the army and fought in the Peninsular war, participating in the battles of Vitoria, Roncesvalles, Pyrenees, and ultimately at the Battle of Waterloo.
In 1819, Fr. O'Donnell was ordained and began serving as parish priest in Lower Fahan and Desertegney. He later moved to Clonmany in 1829, where he remained until his death in 1856. During his time in Clonmany, Fr. O'Donnell became deeply devoted to the people of the parish and worked tirelessly to improve their lives. He established five National schools in the Parish and was a strong advocate for the rights of local people.
In 1838, during the latter years of the tithe war, Fr. O'Donnell was jailed for non-payment of tithes to the Church of Ireland. He was imprisoned in Lifford Prison and became a national focal point in the campaign against the tithe system. Fr. O'Donnell continued his efforts to aid the people of Clonmany during the devastating Great Famine of 1845–1849. He set up a Relief Committee for Clonmany in 1846 to provide assistance to those suffering from starvation. Fr. O'Donnell died on 10 February 1856, in his residence in Clonmany at the age of 77.
Great Famine Clonmany and its surrounding areas were severely impacted by the devastating potato blight, which led to the Irish Famine and caused significant loss of life among the rural population. As early as December 1845, signs of the impending disaster became apparent as the potato crop in Clonmany began to fail. The Church of Ireland Rector of Clonmany, Reverend George H. Young, reported to the Banner of Ulster newspaper that approximately half of the harvested potatoes were diseased, and an estimated three-fourths of the crop had already been lost. The situation was dire, and the availability of seed for the next season was uncertain.
In response to the crisis, local clergy members from both the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities made commendable efforts to raise funds and provide relief. By January 1847, a local relief committee was actively collecting funds to provide emergency food supplies. However, the scale of the crop failure and the outbreak of diseases like dysentery overwhelmed their endeavours.
The committee reached out to local landlords, appealing for financial assistance and forgiveness of rent arrears for struggling tenants. The response from landlords varied, with some demonstrating willingness to help, while others were not as supportive. Financial contributions came from Michael Loughrey, a local landlord associated with Binion Hall. Conversely, John Harvey and Mrs. Merrick expressed their refusal to support the relief efforts until outstanding rent arrears and other expenses were settled. The correspondence between the committee and the local landlords was subsequently published in the Derry Journal. During this period, the Derry Sentinel reported that Clonmany was witnessing a death rate of five to six individuals per day.
Trawbreaga Bay fishing disaster On 23 April 1847, a fishing boat originating from the Isle of Doagh, located just outside Clonmany, embarked on a routine fishing trip with a crew of eight individuals. While navigating Trawbreaga Bay, the boat was unexpectedly overturned by a sudden swell, despite the seemingly calm weather conditions. Seven members of the crew perished as a result. The victims were identified as Donald Doherty, the boat's owner and a father of six; Patrick Doherty, who left behind a wife and three children; James MacLoughlin, survived by his wife and four children; Patrick (Roe) Doherty, a husband and father of one; William (Noher) Doherty, an unmarried young man; Hugh M'Cool, and John McLoughlin. William Doherty, the eighth person on board, managed to swim ashore and survive.
Land wars in the 19th century
In the 19th century, the rural areas around Clonmany saw conflicts about land ownership and tenant rights. A movement known as the Ribbon men gained popularity in the 1830s as they protested against landlords and their agents. In February 1832, a crowd of up to three thousand local tenants launched an attack on the properties of two prominent landlords, Michael Doherty of Glen House and Neal Loughrey of Binnion. The protesters demanded reduced rents and the elimination of tithe payments to the Church of Ireland. Unrest continued in mid-1833 when a local man named O'Donnell had his house destroyed by rioters due to his occupation of an evicted tenant's property. Additionally, rioters targeted the forge of the local blacksmith, a man called Conaghan, for providing services to the tithe agent. Properties belonging to individuals employed by landlords were also vandalized by the rioters.
In February 1834, a detachment of the 1st Royals Regiment from the Londonderry Garrison was stationed in the village to provide support to the civil authorities. However, further unrest erupted in April 1834, leading to property destruction by large rioting crowds.
Violence resurfaced in June 1838 when a group of local people attacked the residence of an absentee landlord, Mrs. Merrick, who was visiting the area to inspect her properties. In September 1838, the home of Mrs. Merrick's bailiff, Hugh Bradley, was assaulted. Bradley was severely beaten, and his house was ransacked by armed men. Mrs. Merrick later offered a reward of £100 for any information regarding the attacks on Bradley. The Times of London described the situation as “..security there is none for either life or property in the unhappy district of Clonmany”.
On the evening of 3 November 1841, the Binion estate belonging to Michael Loughrey suffered an attack. Eight stores of oats and several haystacks were simultaneously set on fire.
In 1852, local tenants targeted Charles McClintock, a civil engineer surveying local properties on behalf of Michael Doherty, one of the main landlords in the area. The attackers fired shots into McClintock's bedroom and pelted his house with rocks.
At times, the violence assumed a sectarian character. In January 1861, the Protestant chapel in Clonmany was attacked, with smashed windows and a destroyed door.
During the 1880s, evictions and protests against landlordism became relatively common occurrences. In January 1881, four local men were arrested for unlawful assembly and riotous behaviour after assaulting a bailiff employed by landlord Harvey. A Clonmany branch of the Land League was established, named after the organization's founder, Michael Davitt. The activities of the Land League in the area were frequently reported by the Derry Journal, which documented a steady stream of protests and evictions throughout the 1880s.
The local Catholic clergy actively defended tenant rights and, in collaboration with the Land League, advocated on behalf of individual tenants to local landlords. In December 1885, the clergy and Land League representatives met with Mr. Loughrey, a landlord known for his strained relationship with tenants. When the Land League representatives commented on the low value of land, Mr. Loughrey retorted, "the tenants were too cheaply rented, that they wanted to drive me and my family to the workhouse, but I will take steps to draw a good many there along with me." The Loughrey estate was one of the largest in the area.
Evictions often led to protests. To stop these protests, landlords would often bring in police and soldiers. Sometimes, tenants would owe years of rent before they were evicted. For example, on 1 June 1881, 80 armed police entered Clonmany to oversee a series of evictions organised jointly by four local landlords. The Land League and the local parish priest, Father Maguire, organised a protest march against the evictions. The evictions were a difficult process. Bailiffs were often not sure where properties were located, and they sometimes evicted the wrong people. There were also disputes about whether the rents had been paid. In March 1882, the Derry Journal reported that a further 18 evictions had taken place on the Loughrey estate which made over 100 individuals homeless.
The eviction of Catherine Doherty in August 1882 was typical. She was a widow who lived in Cleagh, a townland just outside Clonmany. She had accumulated significant arrears before her landlord took proceedings against her. The Derry Journal recorded the event."The first house visited was that of widow Catherine Doherty. She owed two years' rent. A writ was served on her in May 1881, Just two days after the rent became due. She tried to have a settlement effected but all in vain. She offered two years' rent (£8 11s) with half the costs, but that offer was flatly refused by the agent, who would accept nothing less than the entire amount of rent and costs, to be paid before he would leave the house. The Rev. Father O'Doherty, P.P., Father Maguire, and Father McCullagh were in attendance during the first eviction and reasoned with Mr. Harvey for a long time.