Rathfriland () is a market
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
,
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 is north-east of
Newry
Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...
town centre.
History
In older documents written in English, the town's name was usually spelt ''Rathfylan'' or ''Rathfrilan''.
[Placenames Database of Ireland: Rathfriland/Ráth Fraoileann]
(see archival records) It was once the capital of the
Magennis
Magennis (), also spelled Maguiness or McGuinness, is an Irish surname, meaning the "son of Angus", which in eastern Ulster was commonly pronounced in Irish as ''Mag''/''Mac Aonghusa''. A prominent branch of the '' Uíbh Eachach Cobha'', the Ma ...
family, the
Gaelic lords of
Iveagh
Iveagh ( ; ) is the name of several historical territorial divisions in what is now County Down, Northern Ireland. Originally it was a Gaelic Irish territory, ruled by the ''Uí Echach Cobo'' and part of the overkingdom of Ulaid. From the 12th ...
. They built
a castle there in the late 16th century.
The ruins (south gable ) may still be seen on the hill upon which Rathfriland sits. It was a square building of 3-4 storeys with a stone barrel vault on the ground floor to lessen the risk of fire. The castle was battered down during the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...
and much of the remainder was carried off by William Hawkins of London, the first Protestant landowner there after the war. The stones were used to build the Town Inn (the building of which still stands on the corner of The Square and Newry Street) and other houses in the village.
In 1760 the Market House, which dominates the main square, was built for the linen market by Miss Theodosia McGill. An old map of 1776 prepared for the Meade Estate shows streets, lanes, tenements and gardens forming the early village.
A clock-faced
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
stands in the square on the southeastern side. To this day, the names Meade, Maginess and Hawkins live on in Rathfriland, most notably in Iveagh Primary School where the three surnames are the name of the 'sporting houses' or teams and are used on sports day.
Rathfriland lies in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, the
baronies of
Iveagh Lower, Lower Half and
Iveagh Upper, Upper Half, the townlands of Rossconor and Lessize, the district electoral area of Knockiveagh, and the civil parishes of
Drumballyroney and
Drumgath.
Education
Primary schools in the area include Iveagh Primary School (a coeducational primary school that educates around 350 pupils aged from 3 to 11) and St Mary's Primary School.
Rathfriland High School is a local secondary school.
Transport
Rathfriland was served by
Ballyroney railway station
Ballyroney railway station was on the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) which ran from Banbridge to Castlewellan in Northern Ireland.
History
The station was opened on 14 December 1880.
The station closed on 2 May 1955.
References
...
, only a few miles away. Goods and passengers were transported from the station to the village. The former
GNR (I) line between Banbridge and Newcastle was shut down in 1955 by the
UTA
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
*University of Texas at Austin, in the United States
*University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a R ...
.
Translink now operates daily services between Rathfriland and Banbridge, Newry and Newcastle.
Sport
Rathfriland Rangers F.C. play
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
in the
NIFL Premier Intermediate League
The NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Known as the Playr-Fit NIFL Premier Intermediate League for sponsorship reasons) is the third level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national association football league in Northern Ireland, and t ...
.
Other sporting clubs include:
* Rathfriland F.C. - formed in 1962.
* Rathfriland Bowling Club - level green bowls.
* Rathfriland Junior F.C. - formed in 2002.
*
Drumgath GAC - Gaelic games.
* Rathfriland Angling Club - game fishing On the Upper
River Bann
The River Bann (from , meaning "the goddess"; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Bann Wattèr'') is the longest rivers, river in Northern Ireland, its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). The total length ...
and Drumlough Lake.
Demography
Rathfriland is classified as a village by the
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA, ) is an executive agency within the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publicat ...
(NISRA). On census day (2021) there were 2,490 people living in Rathfriland.
[ This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th]
Open Government Licence v3.0
© Crown copyright. Of these:
40% were from a Catholic background,
29% were from a Presbyterian background,
8% were from a Church of Ireland background,
<1% Methodist,
Other Christian religions 9%,
Other religions 1%,
No religion/Not stated 13%
Media
The town has had its own newspaper (''
The Outlook'') since 1940.
Notable people
Notable people with local connections include:
*
Agnes Macready Australia's first war correspondent was born here in 1855.
*
Theodosia Meade, Countess of Clanwilliam.
*
Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë (, commonly ; born Patrick Brunty; 17 March 1777 – 7 June 1861) was an Irish Anglican minister and author who spent most of his adult life in England. He was the father of the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte, Emily Bront ...
, the father of the
Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) was born in 1777 in a cottage in
Edenagarry on the outskirts of
Annaclone
Annaclone () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish between Rathfriland and Banbridge in south County Down, Northern Ireland, about 7 km south-east of Banbridge. The village is situated in the townlands of Ardbrin and Tull ...
, where he lived until a local vicar paid his way to
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
in 1802. He preached and taught at Drumballyroney Church and School House, between Rathfriland and Moneyslane. The Brontë Homeland Interpretative Centre is at
Drumballyroney.
*
Andrew George Scott (alias "
Captain Moonlight") was born in Rathfriland in 1842 in a house on Castle Hill. A notorious Australian
bushranger
Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...
.
*
Margaret Byers (née Morrow) was born in Rathfriland in 1832. Margaret Byers was a teacher, a businesswoman, a pioneer of higher education for girls, a philanthropist and a
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...
. She was given an honorary degree by
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
in 1905, and in 1908
Queen's University, Belfast
The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
appointed her to its senate.
*
Francis Brooks (1924-2010) was born in Rathfriland. He was a former
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore
The Diocese of Dromore () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Ecclesiastical province, Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh, Archdio ...
.
*
William Huston Dodd (1844–1930) was born in Rathfriland, and was educated at the
Royal Belfast Academical Institution and
Queen's College, Belfast. In 1873 he was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
and served as a
High Court judge from 1907 to 1924.
*
Patrick Shea OBE (1908–1986) was born in County Westmeath and since his father was a policeman, he spent his childhood in Athlone, Clones, County Monaghan, Rathfriland and Newry, County Down. Patrick Shea joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service and attained the rank of permanent secretary in the Department of Education. He wrote ''Voices and the Sound of Drums''. He was made an honorary member of the
Royal Society of Ulster Architects in 1971 and a fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...
in 1977.
*
John McAlery (1848/49–1925), Irish
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
pioneer, founder of first Irish football team (
Cliftonville F.C.) in 1879, captained
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in its first-ever international match in 1882
*
Catherine O'Hare Schubert (born 23 April 1835 in Rathfriland, County Down, Ireland; died 18 July 1918 in Armstrong, British Columbia). Catherine Schubert was the only female member of the 1862 Overlanders, a group of some 150 settlers who travelled from Fort Garry (now Winnipeg, Manitoba) to the interior of British Columbia, following the Cariboo Gold Rush.
References
{{authority control
Villages in County Down
Plantations in Ireland
Civil parish of Drumballyroney