Benburb ()) is a village and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It lies 7.5 miles from

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

and 8 miles from

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

. The River Blackwater runs alongside the village as does the Ulster Canal.

History

It is best known, in historical terms, for the Battle of Benburb that took place there in 1646. This was fought between the armies of

Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic Church, Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1652, during the Irish Confederate Wars, Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristoc ...

led by Owen Roe O'Neill and the Scottish

Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

led by Munro. The battle resulted in a crushing victory for O'Neill's men at the townland of Drumflugh around a mile outside the village. It was commemorated in the ballad " The Battle of Benburb". Since the Battle of Benburb was a rare 17th-century Irish military victory, in 1890 new

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

dominated Corporation in Dublin city renamed Barrack Street in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

's north inner city after the battle. Benburb Street runs between Queen Street and Blackhall Place. There is also a Benburb Street in south

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

just off the Donegall Road. In later years Benburb became known for its linen production, as did many areas in Northern Ireland and later still for agriculture, most notably apple farming, and mushroom production. Benburb was the home of the 17th century poet Maurice O'Dugan (fl.1660), who was reputed to have written the poems ''Gluas do chabhlach'', ''Bhi Eoghan air buile'', '' Faraoir chaill Eire a céile fircheart'' and the famous air '' The Coolin''.''Dictionary of National Biography'', v.41 (1895), p.458

Places of interest

The village is also home to the impressive Benburb Castle built in 1611 by Sir Richard Wingfield on the ruins of a military fortification constructed by Prince Shane O'Neill, circa 1558, at the base of a limestone cliff overlooking the River Blackwater, the border between County Tyrone and

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

. The castle is in excellent condition having been recently restored and stands in the grounds of the imposing Servite

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

, a religious order based in the village.

Benburb Priory

Wingfield was made

Viscount Powerscourt Viscount Powerscourt ( ) is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland, each time for members of the Wingfield family. It was created first in 1618 for the Chief Governor of Ireland, Richard Wingfield. However, this creat ...

in 1618 and the estate remained in the Wingfield family until sold in 1877 to Belfast distiller James Bruce, who died in 1917. It then went to his brother who sold it. The manor house passed through a number of owners before being requisitioned by the War Office as military hospital during World War II. From 1943 – 1944 the members of the British Army Medical Corp were stationed there, and from October 1943 to April 1944 it was the home to personnel of the American 7th Field Hospital. The hospital had 135 beds. The

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

acquired the property in 1947, initially for a seminary. In more recent years the Priory has been a cross-community centre supporting over 30 groups spanning culture and heritage, older people, St Peregrine cancer support, education and rehabilitation. The Priory is also home to Benburb Priory Library and Museum which holds extensive collections of Servite and Marian books and artefacts, the Servite archives for Britain and Ireland, the Priory (formerly Wingfield/Powerscourt) estate and local history. The Library and Museum was established in 2016 (Professor Gerry McKenna MRIA; founding chair) and includes the extensive and valuable private collection of Hugo Ricciardi O'Neill, Chief of the Clans of O'Neill, who resides in Setubal, Portugal.

Education

*Benburb Primary School *Benburb Community Playgroup

Demography

19th century population

The population of the village decreased during the 19th century:

21st century population

Benburb in the Northern Ireland UK Census in 2011 was classified as a ''Hamlet'', with a population of 598 people. *8.9% were 18 or younger *11.7% were aged 60 and over *40.0% were male *60.0% were female *55.6% were from a Catholic background *25.4% were from a Protestant background *19.0% stated another Religion or had no religion

Townland

The townland is situated in the historic

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Dungannon Middle and the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Clonfeacle and covers an area of 185 acres. The population of the townland declined during the 19th century: The increase seen in the 1881 Census was ascribed mainly to the building of houses for millworkers.

Notable people

* Conor McKenna (born 1996),

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

and

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player * Gerry McKenna (born 1953) – MRIA,

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

, Senior Vice President of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

, Vice Chancellor and President of

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

* John Orr (1858–1932), founder of the South African department store John Orr's

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in County Tyrone Townlands of County Tyrone Civil parish of Clonfeacle