An ancient territorial division of land in the Parish of Donaghmore, Ballymakaur, is one of the territories that made up the parish of Donaghmore in 1609 was "The Carra" containing eight balliboes. In the lands granted to Sir William Parsons, the Surveyor General of the Plantation and perhaps the most fascinating name on this list of fascinating names is "the Carra." In this form which looks like an Irish nominative plural, it is now completely lost. We shall see a further reference to it later and show how it survives to the present time., Sufficient has been said already of the two Ballydonnellys. The last name on the list still survives in the rarely-used Clagganballydonnelly, now simply called Claggan, near the Rock.

The Parish of Donaghmore, then, according to the Old Irish jurors who attended the Dungannon Inquisition of 1609, and who must surely have attended in hope of getting some of the spoils, was an extensive place indeed. Embracing all the present parish, it included a number of townlands now in Dungannon, extended as far as. Baile na Carraige or the present Rock, took in nearly all the parish of Pomeroy, and ten or twelve townlands now in Killishell. It was therefore an extensive place, which, however, the Jury notes, has only a Vicar, the parish being impropriate, belonging to the Prior and Vicars Choral of Armagh, and 2/3 part of the tithe being the right of the parson, and 1/3 of the Vicar. It has a house, garden, and six acres of glebe land called Farrensagirt.

These Old Irish jurors were certainly well informed on ecclesiastical affairs. We have already shown how the rectory of Donaghmore became impropriate to the College of the Culdees, now with the Plantation called the Prior and Vicars Choral of Armagh. We must marvel at the audacity of the new lords who thus took over the old Catholic scheme of things and used it for their purpose. This audacity is all the more remarkable when we remember that in the parish of Donaghmore in 1609, there was scarcely a single Protestant. More than a yeare would pass before the first batch of tenants for the new landlords would arrive.

It seems likely that the Vicar's glebe, the Farrensagirt of 1609, was in Knocktemple where the church was. There is however no trace of the name to-day. The name Knocktemple is now also unknown, though it remained in its native dress as Cnoc an Teampaill till recent times. Lehardan (Leath-Ardan) though marked on the O.S. is no longer used. All the other balliboes of erenagh land still remain and surround the ancient church on the hill. From time immemorial they had been farmed by the O Loughrans and even as late as the Hearth Money Rolls 1666, the chief tenant in each was a member of this ancient family.

In English inquisitions taken at Derry and Lifford in 1609 the McLaughlins appear as herenaghs or lay officials of church or monastery land in the Parishes of Clonca, Moville and Temple Mor (Derry) in the Inishowen peninsula. While their political importance in Ireland may have come to an abrupt end with their defeat at Caim Eirge in 1241, the McLaughlins continued to wield considerable influence in the affairs of the church, "claiming a prescriptive right to the high places in the See of Derry on account of their old ascendancy." History preserves the names of Nicholas ";the Loughlinnagh" or McLaughlin, Prior of the Dominican Abbey in Derry in 1397 and Donaldus McGlachlyn, mentioned as one of the Chapter of Derry in Colton's Visitations. Bishops of Derry include Geoffrey MacLochlainn, 1297-1315 and Michael MacLochlainn, 1319-1324. A Patrick Loclannach or McLaughlin was appointed Vicar of Clonca Parish in 1425 and also held the title of the Vicar of Culldaff. Later Bishops of Derry include Peter McLaughlin, consecrated Bishop of Raphoe in 1802 but translated to Derry in 1823 and John McLaughlin, his nephew, who succeeded him.

At the Inquisition of Lifford in 1609, the jurors of Donegal summarised the duties of the erenagh, indicated his status, and specified exactly the position he and his sept held in relation to the bishop of Raphoe and in relation to parish administration. The chapter consists of a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, archdeacon, and the four prebendaries of Mullaghbrack, Ballymore, Loughgall, and Tynan, with eight vicars choral, and an organist and choir.

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