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Early
History
Prominent
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The
French 1798
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Lough Allen Tragedy of 1831
Life
in the 1800's
Priests
of the Parish
Fr
Myles McPartlan
Fr
Tom Maguire
Notes
on Some Other Priests
Old
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Drumkeeran
Town in 1901
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HISTORY
The Friars
Creevelea Abbey, near Dromahair
Creevelea
Friary, near Dromahair, played an important role in the life of the area.
Founded in 1508 by Owen O’Rourke, prince of Breifne, the friary was
closed by Sir Richard Bingham in 1584.
The
friars were allowed to return in 1615 but by the time of the Cromwellian
Settlement (1654) their activities were greatly curtailed.
They eventually left the priory sometime around 1680.
In the 1650’s it seems that the parishes of
Inishmagrath and Ballinaglera were regarded as one district.
It’s likely that the two parishes were also jointly administered.
As the friars departed the friary at Creevelea they settled for a while
in the townlands of Gaeglum and Greaghnagloch.
This settlement became known as New Creevelea.
The settlement consisted of five priests and three lay brothers.
The names of five of them are known: Fr Paid Ó Coirnín, Fr John Nerney, Fr
James Rooneen, Fr Charles Reynolds and Br Dominic MacGowan. They later
moved to Ballinaglera where they settled at Corglass.
While the friars did not stay very long in the area, their presence
resulted in the fact that the local church there is still known as Creevelea
Church.
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