School: Achadh Mhaoláin (roll number 9254)

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1. Father Tom Maguire and the Battle of Ardrum Hill

   

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   A little more than one hundred years ago the Very Rev Tom Maguire was Parish Priest of Ballinamore (a town in Co. Leitrim). He was born in the year 1792 and he did in the year 1847 at the age of 55 years.

   He was a very distinguished Priest and was known all over the world. He lived in Ardrum about half a mile from Ballinamore and he was supposed to have saved the Catholics from being killed on the 12th July when they went to stop the Protestants from holding the "Orange Walk" on Ardrum Hill.

   This battle was over one hundred years ago. There weren't near as many of the Catholics as the Protestants and the latter ones were there from many different counties.

   Fr Tom Maguire asked the Catholics not to fight as he knew that they were less in number and had no way of fighting but all they said was - "We shall never let an Orange man walk at your door without putting up a defence to stop him."

   Well, all the men both young and old and even boys of fourteen or fifteen years started off to stop the "Walk".

   They were there before the Protestants and when they arrived the fight was terrible one but the Catholics won after many long hours. They were there waiting from five o'clock in the morning. This ended the "Orange Walk" on Ardrum Hill

   After that there was a man named Jonstan that lived nearby and every 12th July he got up before any of his neighbours and went out and "Walked" alone on Ardrum Hill. He wanted to have it to say that the Catholics couldn't stop him.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. local lore, place-lore (~10,595)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Evelyn A. Gallagher

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Patrick Keegan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   Over 70

   Address

   Drumcullion, Co. Leitrim