History
Origins With the coming of St Patrick to Ireland in 432 AD life was to change forever. The fact that Patrick was based at nearby Armagh and had his "strong man" St Macartan placed over the Church in Clogher, meant that this area probably received the first words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the National Apostle himself. Following the conversion of the Irish, a Church structure was established. The church of Clontibret (or Cluain Tiobrad - the meadow of the well) is reputed to have been founded by a local holy man, St Colmán or Mocholmóg. His feast day is given in the Martyrology of Donegal as September 30. Other saints associated with the parish are Criumtheran (13 June) and Ceallachán (24 September). The Synod of Rathbreasail, held in modern County Meath in 1111, organised the Diocesan system of Church government and agreed boundaries for dioceses. The new organisation put power in the hands of the Bishops as opposed to the Monasteries who had wielded considerable influence during preceding centuries. The territories of the early Church generally matched those of the political kingdoms and families of the day. Hence the fortunes of the Church in this area were tied initially to those of the kingdom of the Mugdorna whose territory took in most of the middle and south of modern County Monaghan until its demise during the 8th century. This kingdom gave its name to the later barony in which the parish is located - Cremorne. |
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From the middle of the eighth century a new kingdom known as Uí Méith replaced the Mugdorna in Mid Monaghan. While the Uí Méith people were a part of the political structure of the Mugdorna era they emerged as a power in their own right and their territory stretched across the middle of the county. It is probable that the parish of Clontibret probably came out of this bigger entity which took in the modern parishes of Tyholland, Tullycorbet, Aughnamullen and part of Muckno.
The Early Church At the time of the dissolution of monasteries, during the reign of King Henry VIII, Clontibret was found to be under the control of the Augustinian Abbey at Clones. However, it would appear that any control that the monastery had was purely nominal as there are records of appointments of priests, mostly O'Duffys, as vicars of Clontibret by the Bishop and the Primate. These vicars included Philip O'Duffy who died in 1423, and his successor Philip O'Luan. In 1428 the parish was assigned by order of Pope Martin V to a priest called Matthew McCleary who held the benefice until the appointment, by Papal Bull, of Patrick O'Duffy in September 1438. The next appointment on record is that of John O'Duffy who was appointed vicar of "ecclesia sancti Mocolmog de Cloyn-Tibruad" on 6 May 1546. By 1606 a James O'Duffy was Rector of Clontibret and of Tyholland and also Archdeacon. The next reference to a priest in the parish is during the 1641 rebellion when Henry Steele, a schoolmaster in Clontibret gave an account of a priest by the name of Brian Mac Dagonach O'Duffy who was active in the Rebellion locally. Around 1669 a Fr James Duffy signed his name as Vicarius de Cluntybrida to a document opposing the introduction of the Dominicans into the county of Monaghan. He signed a similar statement in January 1671. |
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Until the seventeenth century the parish of Clontibret included the area of the modern town of Castleblayney and a large part of what is now the parish of Muckno. Those parts were ceded to Muckno in various stages, particularly following the grant of land on the southern and western side of Lough Muckno to Sir Edward Blayney in 1610. In a list of priests dated 1744 we find that Piaras O'Duffy was listed as parish priest of Muckno and Upper Clontibret. This title continued to be used by PPs of Muckno until the death of Fr Edward Maguire in 1818. Local tradition has it that a further portion of land in the north of the parish, known as "the Eight Tates" was ceded to the new parish of Tehallan when it was formed in 1826.
Parish Church
The original church of the Clontibret parish was at Gallagh, near the site of the present Church of Ireland church. Following the end of Gaelic rule in Ulster in the years after the Treaty of Mellifont (1603) and the subsequent plantation of Ulster, all church lands were deemed to have fallen to the English Crown. In a report of 1622, the Protestant Bishop Spottiswood reported that the church at Clontibret was in ruins. The Down Survey of 1640 shows that the church lands attached to it included "Avall, Killicrow, Glasterran, Aghentenall, Gevelagh and Carriaderry", comprising of 482 acres, Irish plantation measure
It is reputed that Bishop Patrick Duffy O.F.M, Bishop of Clogher 1671 - 1675, was buried "in ye parish church of Clontibret", the old burial ground of the local ruling family. His grave is as yet unidentified.
It is clear from tombstones in the cemetery of the old parish church that Catholics from all over the parish continued to use the traditional parish centre for burials well into the 19th century. Indeed a priest, Fr John Mac Carney, was buried there in May 1741.
The Battle of Clontibret & End of Gaelic Rule By 1641 most of the land in the parish was in the hands of the Mac Mahons while Lord Blayney had a sizeable portion also. The local Irish landowners were active in the Rebellion of 1641 and took part in the attack on Blayney Castle which was burned. |
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As a result of 1641 all the MacMahon lands were confiscated in the Cromwellian settlements of the 1650s and new estates began to emerge. Large tracts of the parish were granted to Thomas Coote and Sir Henry Brooks and these formed the basis for the formation of the Lucas Estate at Castleshane in the 1680s. The Lucas estate included much of the northern end of the parish together with areas around Cremartin and Doohamlet. Much of the remainder of the parish was part of the Blayney Estate and was subsequently sold to the Templetowns of Templepatrick, Co. Antrim.
By 1660 the population consisted of Gaelic names such as O'Duffys, Mc Ardles, Mc Neneys, O'Connolly, O'Brenan, O'Flanagan, O'Mulligan etc. During the 1680s the new Lucas estate had a number of Scottish Protestant families settle in the northwestern portion of the parish, in an area which has become known as the Scotch Corner.
Penal Laws In 1744 Fr Philip MacArdle was registered as PP of Clontibret and the townland of Carrickanure was given as his abode. He was probably a native of the parish. Fr James Mc Ardle is referred to as a priest of Clontibret parish in the Catholic Qualification Rolls of 30 September 1782. By then the Penal Days were over and his registration was a consequence of the Catholic Relief Act of 1778. It is possible that he was the PP before the appointment of Fr Michael McGinn in 1789. It is likely that this Fr Mc Ardle was also a native of the parish. |
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The Catholic people of the parish did not have their parish church from around 1690. Therefore they had to provide outdoor altars for the celebration of the Mass. There was a Mass Rock on Mulligan's land in Tassan. There is evidence of another Mass rock on Brennan's land in Lemgare. There are also some references to Penal Day altars in Dunfelimy, Oghill and Carrickanure and to a Mass Hut on the site of the old church at Annyalla. There was a Mass garden at Doohamlet and another at Lisglasson - at the point where Corcaskea and Bryanlitter meet with that townland. Mass paths to the site can still be traced.
As the application of the Penal Laws became more relaxed, and certainly after 1750, the Mass Gardens were improved to contain a hut or bothóg which provided cover for the priest and the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed in the Diocesan Statutes of 1789 it was made obligatory for this to be the case.
Modern Churches
The first post - penal church in the parish was the old chapel of St Michael's, built by Fr Michael McGinn PP in the centre of the parish, at Annyalla, and opened in 1799. As the nineteenth century progressed it was decided to build churches in the Doohamlet area and in the north of the parish to serve the needs of a fast-growing population. The programme also reflected a more confident Church following Catholic Emancipation in 1829.
The church of the Immaculate Conception (St Mary's, Clontibret) in the townland of Tullybuck was built between the years 1846 and 1865. It was dedicated on 2 October 1859. The church of the Blessed Virgin & All Saints (known as "All Saints") at Doohamlet was built during the years 1857 to 1882 and was dedicated by Bishop Mc Nally on 7 May 1861.
The old church at Annyalla was replaced during the 1920s by the present St Michael's Church, dedicated by Cardinal Patrick O'Donnell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, on Sunday 8 May 1927.
Canon Tierney A fervent political fighter for the Catholic people, he cultivated good relationships with the Ascendancy classes but always stood firm when it came to fighting for the rights of his people. He led his people through the dark days of the Famine and then set about the building and completion of St Mary's church at Tullybuck. |
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He was a strong opponent of the Act of Union of 1800 and was also imprisoned for a time, along with Daniel O'Connell and others, for the parts they played in agitating for repeal of the Act. His agitation included a Monster meeting held at Annyalla on August 15 1843, which he addressed. That meeting was held in the field where the Parochial House now stands - it was known for years as "The Repeal Field".
Canon Tierney died in Dublin in September 1851 and is buried at Annyalla.
Parochial House
The first purpose built Parochial House in the parish was Lakelands, a Georgian style mansion on the shore of Cremartin - Lismagunshin Lake. It was completed in 1823. Prior to that the priests had lived at Harrymount (opposite St Mary's church) or at Avelreagh. Lakelands, also consisted of a considerable sized farm and woodlands. It was replaced by the present Parochial House at Annyalla in 1951.
A Curate's house was built to the rear of St Mary's church in 1865 and from that date there has been a resident curate there. The present presbytery at St Mary's was built in 1949. Another Curates house was built in Doohamlet in 1950 and there was a resident curate at All Saints' church from that year until January 1984.
The Bishops' Parish
The parish of Clontibret was a mensal or bishop's parish from the death of Archdeacon James Duffy in May 1858 until 1970. It was traditional that the bishop held a neighbouring parish in addition to that of the Cathedral - for his own income. It meant that an Administrator, under the direct supervision of the Bishop, ran the parish. This situation continued in Clontibret until the appointment of Fr Thomas Murphy as PP in November 1970.
Schools Once again, Canon Tierney led this effort in Clontibret. The first National school in the parish to be recognised was Annyalla old school, which was completed in 1839. A second school, for girls, was opened on the first floor of the building in 1842. A school at Lackagh was opened in 1861 while Doohamlet was recognised in 1850, having been in existence from 1847. Lemgare school was opened in 1857 and Moys school came into existence in 1875. Previous to 1875 the children of the St Mary's area received their education at Presbyterian managed schools such as the ones at Creeve and Braddox 38. Lisnagrieve old school was built and managed by Alexander Ross, a merchant from Liscarney, Monaghan. A multi-denominational school, it opened in 1849 and came under the patronage of the Bishop of Clogher in 1872. Billeady school opened in 1872 while a school at Drummuck was opened in 1886. Today, all of the National Schools in the parish that are under the patronage of the Catholic Bishop of Clogher have been consolidated into three - Scoil Mhuire at Moys (1963), Annyalla N S (1993) and Doohamlet N S (1993). Both Annyalla and Doohamlet new schools were officially opened on the same day - Friday 25 February 1994 - by the Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach TD. A new National School - Clontibret National School - at Aughnameal, under the patronage of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Bishop of Clogher, was opened by the Minister for Education & Science, Batt O'Keefe TD on Monday, 29 September 2008. It replaces an earlier building at Gallagh which was opened in 1872.
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Economic & Social Change
The Great Famine had damaging effects on the parish. The population fell from 13,800 in 1841 to 10,130 in 1851. It continued to fall due to emigration and the plight of tenant farmers during the nineteenth century. Those who remained survived through self-sufficiency. The various Land Acts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries allowed tenants to buy out their farms from the landlords. In this way, the days of the landlords and estates came to an end. The practice of land distribution among families was to militate against progressive development of the farming sector. However, new agricultural methods and the founding of the Co-operative movement played a big part in improvements in farming.
The "new road" from Monaghan to Castleblayney, which passes through the modern villages of Clontibret and Annyalla, was constructed during the middle of the eighteenth century. This road was to be a major artery through the parish and county, and remained so until the opening of the Cremorne Way (Castleblayney to Clontribret by-pass) in November 2007. The new Railways were also to bring changes. The Dundalk to Enniskillen line ran through the Doohamlet area, having reached Castleblayney in February 1849. There was a gatehouse and crossing at the meeting place of the townlands of Tonyscallon and Coolmannon.
Mining for gold commenced in the 1920s in the Tullybuck area. These have been renewed on several occasions since. During the 1830s there were lead mines in Coolartragh, Annaglogh, Lemgare and Carrickanure. Other local landmarks whose names are rooted in the history of the area include the "Council Bush" on the Gallagh road where the officers reputedly held council before the Battle of Clontibret in 1595, the "Ghost Bush" at Annagh where the Annagh Road meets the "Priests' Road". Modern Parish Today, the Parish of Clontibret is part of the mid-Monaghan Cluster of parishes which includes Muckno (Castleblayney), Tullycorbet (Ballybay), Aughnamullen East (Lough Egish), Aughnamullen West (Latton) and Ematris (Rockcorry). This cluster arrangement provides for support for the parishes involved in terms of priests' cover and general organisation. Undoubtedly, the economic and social changes in Ireland and Europe in recent years pose real challenges, opportunities and questions for the community and the Church in Clontibret in the years ahead. Equally, the challenges posed by Vatican II are also demanding: how our families, communities and parishes can become living examples of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the modern world. In a word, the challenge of Evangelization! |
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