CLONDERMOT, which is the name of a townland as well as a whole parish, is derived from the name of the clan who ruled there, the CLAN DIARMADA or the clan of Dermot. This clan was a Sept of the CENEL EOGHAIN on the East of the River Foyle. The Clan Diarmada were the O’Carolans whose chief was O’Cairellain.
The O’Donnells drove the O’Carolans out of the Magh-Ithe on the West side of the River Foyle and they evidently established themselves on the East side of the river. The Parish passed to the Bishop of Derry during the Wars of Shane O’Neil.
The country from the Foyle to the Bann was sometimes called ‘Patria de O’Kane.’ The chief residence of the O’Kanes was in their castle situated on an island in the East lough of two Enagh Loughs. The Barony of Armagh was called after this Castle of Enagh. This Barony was one of the eight baronies which comprised the County of Tyrone, which then included the County of Londonderry.
The Barony of Armagh was changed into Tirkeeran about 1639, and comprised the Parishes of Cumber, Clondermot and Faughanvale (or Muff). So the Parish of Glendermott is part of the Barony of Tirkeeran. It measures approximately nine miles by five miles, and has 173 acres of water. There are over 21,514 acres in the parish of which 4,410 acres is bog, mountain etc.
Evidently the Parish had little to offer. There were some natural resources such as rock to quarry. There were also deposits of sand and gravel that had been left as a result of the Ice Age, when movements of huge fields of ice from Donegal and even as far away as Scotland, carved out our landscape. Other natural resources were woodlands of oak and birch, water-power and of course the fertile soil where settlers could eke out a living.
St Patrick is said to have founded a church in Ardkill and St Columbkille founded a monastery in the Parish. Ailid O’Dermit founded a nunnery at Rossnagalliagh in 879.
Land in Ireland was divided up into large areas called baronies, parishes or electoral wards. Each of these larger units was divided into townlands. There are 77 townlands in the Parish of Glendermott. Each townland was given a name relating to some characteristic such as height or hill, trees, vegetation, lakes, fortifications or even relating to the clan or family name associated with the area.
Many townlands in Ireland begin with ‘bally’ derived from the Irish word baile (town or townland). Other prevalent Irish names which feature in our Parish are: drum or droin = ridge, alt = height, ard = high, coil or killy = wood or vegetation, lis and dun = fort, gort = field, carry = moor, more = great.
The following is a list of all the townlands in the Parish of Glendermott and the meanings of their names.
Name of Townland – / – Meaning
ALTNAGELVIN
The height or glen of the sparrows OR the glen of the white ben, peak or gable.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
ARDKILL (correct name should be ARDKILLY)
The high wood. There is a tradition that St Patrick founded a church here.
CHURCH LANDS
ARDLOUGH
The high lake, or the hill of the lake, or the hill of the dark, or the dark hill.
CHURCH LANDS
ARDMORE
The great height or hill.
GROCERS LANDS
ARDNABROCKY
The height, or hill of the badgers, or fox cover, or the hill of the speckled or rough tummocky ground.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
AVISH
The coarse mountain pasture (a mountain valley).
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
BALLYOAN
The town of the river, or Owen’s town.
CHURCH LANDS
BALLYORE
The townland of the gold or the town of pride or the grey town.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
BALLYSHASKY
The town land of the sedge grass (or dried swamp).
GROCERS LANDS
BOGAGH
The bog.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
BOLIES
The summer mountain dairies.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
BRICKKILNS
The speckled kilns.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CARN
The cairn or heap of stones or tomb.
CHURCH LANDS
CARNAFARN
The cairn of the alder trees or the hill or the quarter of, the alders.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CARRAKEEL
The narrow weirs.
GROCERS LANDS
CAW
The battle (the site of battle) or the bend of the river or the quagmire or the house.
CHURCH LANDS
CLAMPERNOW
The new controversy or the controversy knowe (or hill).
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CLONDERMOTT
The district of the Clan Diarmata or O’Carolans.
CHURCH LANDS
CLOONEY
The meadows.
CHURCH LANDS
COOLKEERAGH
The hill back of the sheep.
GROCERS LANDS
CORRODY
The hill of the red (iron scum) or the common field.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CRAIGTOWN
Rock town.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CREEVEDONNELL
The town of the branch of the O’Donnells or Donnell’s wide branching tree.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CROMKILL
The sloping wood or bending hazels or the woods of the wild garlic.
CHURCH LANDS
CURRYFREE
The moor of the heath or the moor of the moor-fowl or grouse.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
CURRYNIERIN
The moor of the iron.
GROCERS LANDS
DISERTOWEN
Owen’s hermitage or the hermitage of the river.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
DRUMAGORE
The ridge of the goats.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
DRUMAHOE
The ridge of the cave or grave or the cup-shaped hollow or river or mist.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
DRUMCONAN (OR DRUMCORN)
The ridge of Conan – Conan was a contemporary of Finn McCool.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
DUNHUGH
Hugh’s fort.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
EDENREAGH BEG & EDENREAGH MORE
The grey hill brow.
GROCERS LANDS
ENAGH
The marsh.
CHURCH LANDS
FINCAIRN
The white cairn or heap of stones or white tomb.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GLENDEROWEN
The glen between the two rivers (Foyle and Burngibba (or between the present and former course of the Foyle) or the glen of Owen’s oak wood.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GLENKEEN
The beautiful glen or distant glen.
GROCERS LANDS
GOBNASCALE
The land point of the stories – (probably the residence of a professional story-teller) or the point of the shadow.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GORTGRANAGH
The field of the grain or the granary field or the gravelly field.
GROCERS LANDS
GORTICA
The field of the battle or the field of the stirk.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GORTICROSS
The field of the cross.
GROCERS LANDS
GORTIN
The little tilled field.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GORTINURE
The field of the yew tree.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GORTNESSY
The tilled field of the waterfalls or the field of the weasels.
GROCERS LANDS
GORTREE
The field of the gallows or the field of the reproof or the King’s field.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
GRANSHA & GRANSHA INTAKE
The grange or farm for grain.
CHURCH LANDS
GREERSTOWN (OR CLOGHORE)
The stone of gold or the great stone or the pale grey stone.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
KILFINNAN (OR KILFENNAN)
St Finan’s Church. St Finan was surnamed LOBHAR – the leper. He died between 675 & 695.
CHURCH LANDS
KILLYMALLAGHT
The wood of the curses.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
KITTYBANE
The white woods or the white hillock or the sloping hill.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
KNOCKBRACK
The speckled hill.
GROCERS LANDS
LISAGHMORE (OR THE TRENCH)
The great fort or the fort of the great ford –(could have been a large swamp at one time).
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
LISDILLON
The fort of the Dillons or the fort of the flood.
GROCERS LANDS
LISGLASS
The green fort.
GROCERS LANDS
LISMACAROL
McCarroll’s Fort.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
LISNAGELVIN
The fort of the sparrows.
CHURCH LANDS
LISNEAL
The fort of the limestones or Neill’s fort.
CHURCH LANDS
LISSAHAWLEY (LISAHALLY)
Awley’s fort or the fort of the Port or the fort of the ford of the sea.
CHURCH LANDS
MAGHERACANON
The plain of the Canons or the plain of the cannon or the plain of the white-faced hills.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
MANAGH BEG ( OR MANAGHMORE)
The townland of the monks or the plain of the horses.
GROCERS LANDS
MAYDOWN
The plain of the fort.
GROCERS LANDS
PREHEN
The place of the crows.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
PRIMITY
The townland of the old tree roots.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
ROSSNAGALLIAGH
The wood of the nuns.
CHURCH LANDS
STRADREAGH BEG & STRADREAGH MORE
The grey street or the street or village of the gallows.
CHURCH LANDS
TAGHARINA
The house of the Queen.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
TAMNEYMORE
The great field. Here in 1624 the O’Kane shot Mr Skipton who had gone into possession of some of O’Kanes lands at Beechill in Ballyshasky.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
TEMPLETOWN
The town of the church.
CHURCH LANDS
TIRBRACKEN
The land of BRECAN or the district of the speckled patches of land. St Brecan was the Patron Saint of Clooney Church and was believed to have been born in Dungiven.
GROCERS LANDS
TIRKEEVENY
The district of O’Keeveny or O’Kavanagh.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
TULLY (UPPER & LOWER)
The hillock.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
TULLALLY (UPPER & LOWER)
The hillock of the cliff or the hillock of beauty.
GROCERS LANDS
WARBLESHINNEY
The tail of the fox or the mountain of the fair-haired woman.
GOLDSMITHS LANDS
