Aughanduff

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Aughanduff Áth an Daimh
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54°09′04″N 6°30′47″W / 54.151, -6.513
Irish grid reference H969221
Statistics
Province:	Ulster
County:	County Armagh
Elevation:	71 m (232 ft)
Population (2000)  - Town:  - Environs:	200 approx

Aughanduff (Irish: Áth an Daimh meaning 'ford of the ox') is a townland in the Parish of Forkhill, Division of Camly, and Barony of Upper Orior, County Armagh.

Contents 1 Name 2 Location and geography 3 Politics 4 Features 5 Economic activity 6 Climate 7 People 8 History 9 Gallery 10 Sources 11 See also

[edit] Name

Aughanduff or Annduff (Also spelt Aghaduffe, Aueghanduff, or Agheduff) is said to come from the Gaelic Áth an Daimh, meaning 'ford of the ox',^[1] however another theory on the origin of the name sees it derived from Achadh Dubh or 'Black fields'. It is commonly pronounced 'Ann-duff'.

[edit] Location and geography

The townland lies 2 miles (3 km) north of the village of Mullaghbawn and 3½ miles (5 km) from Silverbridge, County Armagh, neighbouring Carricknagavina to the north, Tullymacrieve to the east, Cashel to the south, and Umericam, Ummerinvore and Tullyogallaghan to the west.^[2] Aughanduff was created as part of the 'Silurian' period granite outer ring of Gullion some 390 million years ago.^[3] Aughanduff lies 5 miles (8 km) from the border with the Republic of Ireland and Newry, at eight miles (13 km) off to the east, is the nearest large town.

Comprising 893 acres (3.61 km²), Upper and Lower Aughanduff mountains form one half of a valley with the mountains of Carricknagavina and Tullymacrieve on the other side. The townland is described as "poor, gravelly and rocky" in a map of 1827 and the area is mostly gravel and rock, with heather and bog but also significant tracts of pasture and some arable ground.

[edit] Politics

Aughanduff is part of both the Newry and Armagh UK Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly Countituencies. At Westminister level it is represented by Conor Murphy^[4] (Sinn Fein),^[5] and in the Northern Ireland Assembly by C. Boylan, D. Bradley, M. Brady, W. Irwin, D. Kennedy and C. Murphy.^[6] The Townland also forms part of the Slieve Gullion ward of Newry and Mourne District Council where it is represented by Cllrs G. Donnelly, A. Flynn, P.J. Mc Donald, T. Hearty, and C. Burns.^[7]

[edit] Features

A brook known locally as the 'roaring stream' forms part of the boundary of Aughanduff as well as the Parish of Forkhill and also marks the border between the ancient territories of Orior and Fews. Historically, an important local feature was the 'lone bush' which stood on top the mountain. Today most recognisable man-made feature in the area is Our Lady Queen of Peace Church^[8] on the Silverbridge Road, dedicated in 1957, and built with donations coming from families in the locality as well as New York, Philadelphia and further afield. The townland boasts scenic views of Slieve Gullion, Dromintee, and counties Louth and Monaghan to the south and west, as well as a small holy well. The townland is traversed by two roads and the main Newry to Crossmaglen road runs along part of its south eastern boundary.

[edit] Economic activity

The map of 1827 shows two lime kilns in the area, however these seem to have fallen out of use by the turn of the 20th century and despite the rocky nature of the townland no commercial quarrying activities take place today. Many people in Aughanduff work in services in nearby towns such as Newry or Dundalk and return to the area at night. While the primary economic activity carried out within the townland remains farming (and specifically grazing), revenue is largely generated in services carried out outside the townland such as building, government and retail with most farmers engaging on the activity on a part time basis. As of 2007 Aughanduff has seen its first electricity generating wind turbine/windmill erected, and the area also has access to broadband internet via satellite.

[edit] Climate

Aughanduff, lying a mere ten miles (16 km) from the sea enjoys a typical Oceanic climate generated by the Gulf Stream with damp mild winters, temperatures rarely dropping below freezing during daylight hours and though frost is not infrequent in the months November - February, snow rarely lies for longer than a few hours. Summers are also mild and somewhat damp with sunshine often interspersed with showers during summer months.

Weather averages for Aughanduff, County Armagh
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	45 (7)	45 (7)	48 (9)	54 (12)	59 (15)	63 (17)	64 (18)	64 (18)	61 (16)	55 (13)	48 (9)	45 (7)	54 (12)
Average low °F (°C)	36 (2)	36 (2)	37 (3)	39 (4)	43 (6)	48 (9)	50 (10)	50 (10)	46 (8)	45 (7)	37 (3)	36 (2)	41 (5)
Precipitation inches (mm)	3.1 (80)	2 (52)	2 (50)	1.9 (48)	2 (52)	2.7 (68)	3.7 (94)	3 (77)	3.1 (80)	3.3 (83)	2.8 (72)	3.5 (90)	33.3 (846)
Source: Met Éireann / BBC [9] [10] 2007-10-30

[edit] People

Historical populations[11]
Census year	Households	Population
1841	78	425
1851	71	346
1861	78	324
1871	64	295
1891	62	244
1901	57	214
1911	57	201
1926	43	177
1937	39	149
1951	31	109

The population of the townland is currently in excess of two hundred persons, with those of Irish decent comprising almost all inhabitants bar a few residents of English and American extraction. In terms of religion most inhabitants are Roman Catholic or non-religious with Our Lady Queen of Peace being the sole house of worship in the area.

As indicated by the table on the right, the population of the townland has fallen significantly since the Irish Famine, with decline continuing from the 1840s until the 1980s. Recent years have seen a halt brought to this trend with something of a mild resurgence in terms of numbers resident in the townland.

English is by and large the sole language of communication used in the area today with Irish being spoken as a native tongue among a minority as late as the early 1900s - the last native Irish speaker in the townland, Molly Kavanagh, died in 1940. While the last monoglot Irish speakers appear to have died out in the mid 1800s, neighbouring Carricknagavina saw its last native Irish speaker, Annie Quinn, die at age 105 in 1997.^[12]

[edit] History

Aughanduff was probably first settled in the Bronze Age and indeed lies just over a mile (2 km) from An Aughnaclough mullion, where in 1815 the first, and reportedly most remarkable, megalith tomb in Ireland (subsequently destroyed) was discovered by Mr. John Bell of Newry.^[13] Several prehistoric stone structures have been found and documented in the area but many have been lost over the years. An example of such a structure was a ring fort named 'the Lis' which appears on the map of 1827 as being in the field adjacent to where the Church now stands, however this structure has since been destroyed.^[14]

Formed into the See of Armagh in the Early Christian period, Aughanduff and indeed the South Armagh region in which it lies formed part of a buffer zone between the Gaelic Irish and expanding English pale throughout the Middle Ages into the early modern period with Roche^[15] and Moyry Castles lying in its immediate hinterland.

Aughanduff formed part of the historic area of Orior (from Irish 'Airthir' meaning 'Easterns') and was controlled by the O'Hanlon Sept chiefs of Orior. The Territory neighbored the Fews (from Irish 'An Fiodh' or 'the wood'),^[16] which was described by Marshal of Crown Forces in Ulster at the time of the Nine Years' War, Henry Bagenal as "Borderth upon the English Pale, within three miles (5 km) of Dundalk; it is a very strong country of woode and bog."^[17]

During the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland, Elizabeth I of England granted Aughanduff to Captain Thomas Chatteron who travelled from Dublin to Dundalk to take possession of his grant but after having gauged the condition of his domain failed to settle it and forfeit his grant to the crown.^[18] With no effective English control, the land remained in the possession of the O'Hanlons and indeed lies close to the Gap of the North and the route the Ulster and English armies took following the Battle of the Yellow Ford in 1598.

In the Aftermath the defeat of the Great O'Neill at Kinsale, Aughanduff was shired into the County of Armagh as part of the Barony of Orior (Upper)^[19] but escaped plantation (as happened nearby areas such as Forkhill and Newtownhamilton to varying degrees).^[20]

The turmoil of the Plantation of Ulster, Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and Williamite War saw Aughanduff pass into the hands of Richard Whaley, a cousin of Oliver Cromwell following confiscation from its native owners. The 18th century and saw ownership pass amongst various Ascendancy and gentry figures until in 1800 it was purchased by the McGeogh-Bonds, holders of some 6,000 acres (24 km²) throughout the county.^[21]

On the Death of Robert J. McGeough, the land passed into the possession of Alice Blacker-Douglass of Killiney, County Dublin, from whom it was purchased by its tenants under the Irish Land Acts in the early 20th century - significantly later than neighbouring Carricknagavina which was amongst the first townlands in the country bought out by its tenants. Immediately prior to the Great Famine some 425 souls inhabited the townland, which had reduced by almost half to 214 in 1901. ^[22]

The famine hit poor in the area hardest with stories circulating over a century later of the destitute starving with their mouths turned green, having resorted to eating grass. The 19th century, as well as seeing hunger and emigration, saw the disappearance of stores and shibeens which had existed before the famine but also the instigation of an education system with a national (elementary) school constructed in the townland during the 1820s for a cost of £112 and funded by the state (through the Kildare Place Society) and by the local Landlord. In 1824 this school records having one Episcopal and some forty-five Roman Catholic schoolchildren enrolled.^[23]

As well as the transfer of land ownership back to native dwellers, the early 20th century also saw activity on the part of both sides during the Irish War of Independence with newspaper reports of at least one shooting incident involving Black and Tans. The area saw a return to quiet normalcy in the period following the Partition of Ireland and although incorporated within the new Northern Ireland state, the area remained a mere 5 miles (8 km) from the border with the Irish Free State. The mid 20th century saw the arrival of electricity, mains water and telephones in the area as well as the closing of the local school in June 1972 as all schools in the parish were amalgamated into two with one at Mullaghbawn and another at Forkhill. The Troubles from 1969 onwards saw little by way of direct conflict as the area remained quiet^[24] but also saw frequent British Army patrols and Helicopter activity which largely ended during the later stages of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. The later years of the 20th century also seem to indicate the end of the long process of population decline with population figures stabilising and finally beginning to grow from the end of the 1980s.

[edit] Gallery

View of Slieve Gullion from Aughanduff	Aughanduff from Carricknagavina	Forkhill Mountain in the Distance at dusk	The Aughanduff Road
View over Aughanduff with Monaghan in the distance	Tullyogallaghan in the background	Facing east from Aughanduff Mountain at dusk	Fields in Aughanduff

[edit] Sources

[edit] See also

• County Armagh
• Townland
• History of Northern Ireland