but it was afterwards re-granted to his son, Sir Cahir, as appears from an inquisition taken at Derry in the 7th year of James the 1st, with the exception of the quarter of Ballyarnett, the half-quarter of Leharden, (now Culmore townland) and 300 acres allotted to the castle of Culmore. In the year 1608 Sir Cahir also rebelled, and his letters patent, therefore, becoming null and voide, his whole property was granted to Arthur, Lord Chichester, of Belfast, by letters patent, bearing date the 20th of November, in the 19th year of the reign of James the 1st. It appears from the same inquisitions that Lord Chichester being thus seized, leased his possessions here to Faithful Fortesque, Knt., Arthur Usher, Tristram Berrisford, and Charles Points, and to their heirs."

Iskaheen, which was formerly united to Templemore, was erected into a parish in 1811 by the Right Rev. Dr. O'Donnell, and given to the Rev. William M'Laughlin, who exchanged for Donagheady in 1836. He was succeeded by the Rev. Simon M'Leer, who exchanged for Lower Badoney, and was succeeded by the Rev. Manasses O'Kane, who exchanged for Omagh. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. M'Kenna, who exchanged for Donagheady, and was succeeded in 1847 by the Rev. William M‘Laughlin, who returned to his native parish, where he died in 1856. He was succeeded by the Rev. Wm. Logue, who died in 1865, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Devlin, the present parish priest.

CHAPTER XVIII.-Bishops of Derry-Conclusion.

The history of the origin of many of the Irish Sees is involved in much obscurity, nor do their limits seem to be accurately defined. This seems to be peculiarly the case with regard to the See of Derry. The present See seems in the early ages of Christianity to have been divided into no less than three separate and independent Sees-namely, the See of Inishowen, the See of Ardstraw, and the See of Coleraine. There can be no doubt that Inishowen was, for one time, and indeed for many centuries, a separate See; in fact, its insular position would seem to indicate this, but there are other and stronger arguments. As we have shown in an early chapter St. Patrick visited Inishowen and founded two churches, one of which was the church of Donagh. MacCarthan, a disciple of

Ꭱ

St. Patrick, was appointed bishop of this church; no doubt his jurisdiction extended over the barony. The Annals of the Four Masters tell us that in the year 618 St. Sillan, bishop, died at Moville. He, too, must have been Bishop of Inishowen. Besides this, there is strong intrinsic evidence in the archæological remains to be found in the churchyard of Donagh, to indicate that the locality was once a cathedral church and an episcopal residence. We have alluded to these in a preceding chapter. One of the most interesting, and certainly the most important, is the stone on which is carved, among other figures, the likeness of a bishop in pontificals, with crozier in hand.

Having said so much with regard to the See of Inishowen, we will now make a few observations regarding Ardstraw, which means the height overlooking the valley. St. Eugene is the patron saint of this See, and, indeed, of the diocese of Derry. His festival is celebrated on the 23d of August. He was a disciple of St. Patrick, and consecrated by the saint himself. He lived to an advanced age, for the annals of Clonmacnoise say that he died in 618. There is, however, a difficulty with regard to this, which has been noticed by Ussher and the Bollandists in the history of his life-namely, how to reconcile the two facts, that he died in 618, and was consecrated by St. Patrick. Ardstraw remained an Episcopal See for the space of seven centuries. It extended on the east of the Foyle from Ardstraw to Magilligan. It was called indiscriminately the See of Ardstraw, Kinel-Owen, or Tyrone. The Annals of the Four Masters tell us of a bishop residing there in 705, and of A. Engus, Bishop of Ardstraw, who died in 878. From the same source we learn that the Cathedral Church of Ardstraw possessed valuable relics. This church was called Daimhliag, or great stone church, and was burned in the year 1099, There is much uncertainty as to the time when the See was changed to Rathlury or Maghera; some say it was in the year 1118, after the council of Rathbreasil, at which the legate Gelasius presided. Rathlury appears never to have been a separate and independent See, but rather the place of the cathedral church of the diocese of Ardstraw, and where the Bishop of Ardstraw resided after the cathedral church was burned. Derry was elevated to a bishopric in the year 1158, under the episcopacy of Flaherty O'Brolchan. It was this bishop who, in union with the monarch, M'Laughlin, built the Cathedral Church of Derry in the short space of 40 days, as

the Four Masters testify.

Ware and Ussher make a succession of Bishops in the See of Derry since the days of Brolchan ; others say there was no regular succession till the year 1293, for that the four bishops who succeeded Brolchan were styled Bishops of Ardstraw. After the episcopal residence was changed from Ardstraw to Rathlury, a portion of the diocese of Ardstraw was annexed to Clogher, which, however, was added to Derry in the year 1266, as the following extract from O'Flagherty's Ogygia will show :—

"Hyfiachre is a country of Tyrone, in which Ardstratha lies, formerly an Episcopal See near the river Derg, afterwards annexed to the See of Clogher, (in Tyrone, first the residence of the princes of Orgiellia, afterwards converted into a cathedral,) but about the year 1266 it was taken from the See of Clogher, with many other churches of Hyfiachre, in the gift of the Tyronians, and was incorporated with the See of Londonderry."

The diocese of Derry, as it now stands, seems to have been established in 1266. Nowhere do I find that Inishowen formed a portion of the diocese of Raphoe. In fact, it seems to have been a separate and independent See till it was incorporated with Derry, either in the year 1158 or 1266. It is true that towards the end of the 13th century the Bishop of Raphoe claimed it, and went to Rome for that purpose; but, had his claim been a valid one, no doubt he would have succeeded. Towards the close of the last century another Bishop of Raphoe (Dr. Coyle) renewed his claim, but with no better effect. In fact, the only foundation for the claim seems to be the county in which Inishowen is situate.

Having said so much regarding the origin of this See, we will subjoin an account of the Catholic Bishops who have presided in it since the period of the Reformation. We have already given a lengthened account of some of them. Rory O'Donnell succeeded in 1529, died in 1551. Eugene O'Doherty succeeded in 1554. The Ordnance Memoir gives the name of Magennis instead of O'Doherty. This is an error, as we have quoted in a former chapter the document sanctioning his appointment, which was taken from the Barberini Archives. O'Doherty was succeeded by Edmond O'Gallagher, an Augustinian monk, who was translated from Killala in the year 1569, as the following document, which was discovered in the Barberini Archives last year, will show :

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"22° Junii, 1569, referente Cardinal Morone, sua sanctitas

absolvit Reverendum patrem dominum Edmundum O'Galhur, Episcopum Alladensem, a vinculo quo ecclesiæ Alladensi tenebatur, et eum transtulit ad ecclesiam Derensem, vacantem per obitum Eugenii Idocharti, ipsumque illi in episcopum præfecit, cum retentione prioratus de Eachinis ordinis canonicorum regularium sancti Augustini cum suis annexis Alladensis diocesis valoris XXIV. marcarum sterlingorum.”

O'Gallagher was killed in the year 1601 during the civil wars that prevailed in the reign of Elizabeth. The place was the county Derry, in the country of the O'Cahans, on a little rising ground adjoining the old church of Drumachose. After the death of O'Gallagher the See of Derry was without a bishop for the space of 120 years. The diocese was governed during those eventful times by Vicars. History mentions the names of four, Bernard Geraghty, Patrick M'Mahon, and Terence Kelly. The name of the other is given in Moran's Life of Oliver Plunket. These Vicars exercised to a great extent episcopal jurisdiction, but could neither ordain, consecrate chalices, nor bless altar stones. The first bishop after O'Gallagher was Terence Donnelly, who succeeded in 1717. Was Vicar of Down and Connor before this. His successor was Neil Conway, a native of Ballinascreen, who resided there, and was buried in Ballinascreen churchyard. He died in 1738. Dr. O'Reilly succeeded in 1739. This bishop is the author of the Cathecism which is in general use in Ulster. He was succeeded by Dr. Brolaghan, in 1751. This bishop, who was chaplain to the Sardinian Embassy, never resided in his See. The revival of religion, and, indeed, we may say, of the episcopacy in the diocese of Derry seems to date from the year 1760, when Dr. M'Colgan, of whom we have already spoken, 'was elevated to the See of Derry. This good bishop lived at Muff, and is buried in an unknown grave in the lone churchyard of Cloncha. He died in 1769. He was succeeded by Dr. MacDevitte, who died in 1797. Dr. O'Donnell succeeded in 1798, and died in 1823. Dr. Peter M‘Laughlin, a native of Donaghmore, who was educated for 9 years in a college at Paris, and who returned to Ireland in 1790, was appointed parish priest of Omagh, where he remained till 1802, when he was elected Bishop of Raphoe. He was translated from this See in 1819, as coadjutor to Dr. O'Donnell. He governed the diocese for many years, and died in 1840. Dr. John M'Laughlin was appointed Coadjutor in 1837. Dr. Maginn succeeded in 1846, and died

He was succeeded by his Lordship, Dr. Kelly, the

in 1849. present bishop.

In commencing the foregoing chapters I designed to sketch. what I may term the physical aspect and topography of the peninsula of Inishowen. I wished to draw the attention of its people to the prominent and proud position which this territory holds in the ancient history of our country; to the illustrious line of princes of the Kinel-Owen, born and reared within the walls of Aileach, who wielded the monarchal sceptre, and who proved themselves the fathers of their people and the defenders of the rights of their country; to notice the old druidical temples, and other remains of pagan times, as illustrating the colonisation of the district and the form of worship at that remote period; to show the childlike docility with which its people received the light of the gospel, and to point to the churches and monasteries which they founded and endowed; to call to remembrance the struggles which our forefathers maintained with the Dane and Saxon, successfully against the first, and though to the other they were forced to yield, it was not till after a most obstinate defence, when all Ireland besides had been subdued, and more than four centuries after Henry received the submission of the southern princes. Then, after their subjugation, when wholly deprived of all political liberty, the mere serfs and slaves of the conqueror, or, not daring to appear in their former homes, timid fugitives occupying rude huts in the depths of the mountains when all else was lost, how they cherished and clung to the faith of their fathers, their attachment to the ancient worship increasing with persecution's rage. I designed to glance at the remains of the ancient churches and religious houses, and the monumental art and christian antiquities found in connexion with them; at the seats and strongholds of the ancient chieftains whose

"Ivy-clad turrets, the pride of past ages,

Though mouldering in ruin do grandeur impart"

and to treat of some of the eminent and remarkable men of this district who flourished in later times. I aimed at interspersing with the descriptive, historical, and biographical matter, such anecdotes and legends as world illustrate the customs, habits, and inclinations of the people, and prevent that satiety attending, more or less, the perusal of a dry enumeration of abstract facts.