Mullaghbrack

Village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Mullaghbrack, Mullabrack or Mullaghbrac (from Irish An Mullach Breac, meaning 'speckled hilltop')^[1] is a small civil parish, townland and village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village of Mullaghbrack is on the road between Markethill and Hamiltonsbawn, just north of Gosford Forest Park. It had a population of 54 people (24 households) in the 2011 census,^[2] down from 75 people as of the 2001 census.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

The civil parish of Mullaghbrack (Irish: An Mullach Breac) spans the historic baronies of Fews Lower and Oneilland West in County Armagh.^[3] There are 43 townlands in the civil parish,^[4] including smaller townlands like Mullaghbrack townland itself (254 acres (1.03 km²))^[5] and slightly larger townlands like Drumnamether (389 acres (1.57 km²)).^[6] Larger settlements in the civil parish include Markethill.^[7]

History

In the 5th century, a simple wooden church was built at Mullaghbrack, within the remains of an ancient earthen-ringed fort. This church is associated with the Culdee Priors of Armagh, who are sometimes regarded as "the successors of St Patrick".^[8]

The area was impacted during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Irish commander Féilim Ó Néill, on his march from Newry to Armagh in 1641, reputedly ordered Mulmory MacDonell "... to kill all the English and Scots within the parishes of Mullebrack, Logilly and Kilcluney".^[9] Among the properties destroyed in the Markethill area were the parish churches of Mullaghbrack and Kilcluney, Achesons Castle at Markethill and Hamilton's bawn. The rectors of Mullaghbrack (Reverend Mercer) and Loughgilly (Reverend Burns) were both killed.^[10]

Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club is O'Donovan Rossa's (Cumann Uí Dhonnabháin Rossa), founded in 1903 as the Shamrocks; it disappeared in the 1930s but was reformed under its present name in 1953. The high point in the club's history was its winning the county Junior championship in 1983.^[11]

People

Lord William Beresford (William Leslie de la Poer Beresford) (1847–1900), born in Mullabrack, received the Victoria Cross during the Anglo-Zulu War.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Placenames NI Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Mullaghbrack". Census 2011 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
^ "An Mullach Breac / Mullaghbrack". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "Sub-units of: An Mullach Breac/Mullaghbrack". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "Mullaghbrack Townland, Co. Armagh". townlands.ie. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "Drumnamether Townland, Co. Armagh". townlands.ie. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1837). "Mullaghbrack". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Lewis – via libraryireland.com.
^ "Mullabrack Parishes – a Short History". Diocese of Armagh. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
^ Carey, Mathew (1823). A Review of the Evidence of the Pretended General Conspiracy of the Roman Catholics of Ireland, to Massacre "all the Protestants that Would Not Join with Them," on the 23d of October, 1641. H. C. Carey & I. Lea. p. 52.
^ Hamiliton, Ernest William (1920). The Irish Rebellion of 1641: With a History of the Events which Led Up to and Succeeded it. J. Murray. p. 192. [While some reports] may be taken as one of the exaggerations so common to the period. All that is known for certain is that Mr. Mercer, minister of Mullaghbrack, and Mr. Burns, curate of Loughgilly, were among the victims
^ Armagh GAA website Archived 2012-08-30 at the Wayback Machine