Loughinisland Churches

Loughinisland was a natural island within a lake but is now connected by a causeway in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The Loughinisland parish derived its name from the island which is connected to the mainland by a causeway which contains the ruins of three ancient churches. The oldest church on the island is the one in the middle and it continued in use until the much larger north church (left) was built to replace it in the 15th century . For the next 300 years this rectangular gabled structure served the needs of the Catholics of the area. After the Reformation, Protestants used it also for their service every Sunday after Mass was over.
The earliest recorded reference is to a parish church on the site in 1306. The Middle Church is the oldest, probably from the 13th century. The large North Church was built in the 15th century, probably to replace the Middle Church, and continued in use until 1720. The smallest is the South (MacCartan's) Church, the elaborately carved west door of which has the date 1636 and initials PMC for Phelim MacCartan. This was probably the main burial ground of the MacCartans who had one of their chief seats near the lake.
The North Church was in use until about 1718. Local accounts say that at one time there was an amicable arrangement for the church to be used for both Protestant and Roman Catholic worship, but that a dispute rose one wet Sunday, when Roman Catholics were unwilling to leave the church due to the rain, and free the church up for the Protestants. This displeased the Forde family so much that they dismantled the old church and built a new one in Seaforde which was roofed with the timbers of the old building.
More information about Loughinisland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughin...
www.megalithicireland.com/Loug...
hiddenni.wordpress.com/2012/1...
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.a...
Video footage recorded on a Mi Drone 4K

[@accountingsuccesscoach7267]

Thanks so much for this.
I'm a from Loughinisland and generations of my family are buried there.
No wonder people from Loughinisland are proud of where they are from!

[@bewes72]

Thanks for the wonderful footage , the cemetery and surrounding area looks beauiful, I lived and went to school in loughinisland in the early seventies holds warm happy memories for me ! Long my it last and be cared for!

[@pixiepostcard2090]

I remember as a child with some going to the Island and opening the doors of one of the vaulted graves, and there were still bones inside..we gasped in exclamation and ran!!!🙀🙀🙀Years later also got honey from a man just up that lane a bit.

[@lornamcglennon3936]

This is just wonderful. I even saw my ancestors' graves and that of my uncle.

[@markdj57]

Wow!

[@DaveDott]

Love it!

[@DashDrones]

Subscribed, more videos please!

[@DashDrones]

Mark Stronge same with mine 😂