Carnteel Old Graveyard, Carnteel

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Carnteel – a place of religious significance, a battle site of huge importance, a hide-out and a place of natural beauty. The first record of a minister in Carnteel appears in 1411 when Syman Macgran was Rector, but no church was built until 1622, probably founded by St Patrick.

 

Located in the Barony of Dungannon, County of Tyrone in the province of Ulster. Contains over 50 townlands.

Carnteel church was later destroyed by fire during the 1641 Rebellion, but the Rector survived. Some conflicting reports, that the church may still have been in use the following year, as a sermon was preached on the 1st Sunday in Lent by a Henry O’Mellan in the church at Carnteel on 6th March 1642.
One wall remains and is preserved by Mid Ulster District Council. Later, a new church was rebuilt in the townland of Rooskey, known as Aghaloo Parish to replace the Carnteel building.

The O’Neills
Carnteel was the site of a battle for the kingdom of Tyrone between Domnall O’Lochlainn and Donnell O’Neill. O’Lochlainn lost his throne but recovered it the following year when he defeated the O’Neills of Carnteel. This was known as the ‘Battle of Carn Siadhail’, many Irish chiefs killed, one of them being Donal Tamhnaighe O’Neill.
By 1523, war broke out between O’Neills and O’Donnells of Donegal. Some of the O’Donnells encamped at Tullyhogue, but used Carnteel as a base for plundering where many cattle were killed.
Later, the kingship was taken by a Brian O’Neill. Then, a leading man of O’Neill’s clan was killed at ‘The Battle of Glassdrummond’
Carnteel was later under a petty chief named John O’Neill, he and his followers played an active part in Hugh O’Neill’s great victory. A Clachan of his followers lived at the Crannog on Carnteel Lough.

Carnteel Crannog
An artificial island on Carnteel Lough, which provided sanctuary & a safe hide-out dwelling for James O’Neill. Stone, peat, branches and wood were dumped in a shallow place in a lake and then a level platform was formed on which wooden houses were built. This helped it to rise above water level. Access to crannogs were by dug-out canoe. Crannogs date back to the late Bronze Age about 600BC up to the early 17th century, many of them occupied to the 1500’s.

Branny Fort
Branny lies the Parish of Carnteel, next door to Killeshil and Aghaloo Parishes and not far from here is Branny Fort.
Branny, translates, ‘A Place of Ravens’, a great romancing place and untouched area of natural beauty. Many gatherings and races were held here.