Carrigallen History
The History of Carrigallen and it’s Parish dates as far back as the Stone Age, between the year 4 and 15 BC. We know this from the scant remains they left behind in the form of megalithic tombs which they built as burial places for their dead.
The earliest settlers in Carrigallen date back to the Stone Age. Evidence of this can be seen at Clooncorrick, where a portal dolmen a type of megalithic tomb is located. A portal dolmen consists of a single burial chamber and gets its name from two large upright stones at the entrance called portal stones. Four smaller stones at the back complete the structure, which was originally covered by a cairn (a pile of stones).
Iron Age Heritage
The parish of Carrigallen contains 18 ringforts dating back to the Iron Age. These are found in areas such as Kilahirt, Drumeela, Kilbracken, Beaghmore, and Errew. Ringforts were the homesteads of the Celts and consisted of a circular bank of earth topped with a wooden palisade. Inside these banks were circular houses constructed from wattle and daub, with thatched roofs. two crannogs artificial islands built on lakes for protection can be found in Kilnemore Lake, with another in Gulladoo Lake. These were likely used by Iron Age farmers as secure homes.
Medieval History
During the 7th and 8th centuries, the Ui Bruin—a branch of the royal family of Connaught—conquered and settled the area. By the 9th century, the O’Rourke chieftains ruled North Leitrim, including Carrigallen. They established a castle at Clooncorrick, while their most important stronghold was on Cherry Island in Garadice Lake. The O’Rourkes ruled until the Plantation of Leitrim in 1621.
During the Plantation, Charles I of England granted 4,419 statute acres to Sir James Craig in 1640. By 1666, the Gores of Woodford were the largest landowners in Carrigallen, holding 4,617 acres. Between 1649 and 1660, Cromwellian soldiers destroyed a Catholic Church on the grounds of what is now the Church of Ireland.
Notable Buildings in Carrigallen
- 1813: Killegar House (home of Lord Kilbracken)
- 1814: The Church of Ireland
- 1836: Carrigallen Presbyterian Church
- 1846: St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
- 1879: Monster Meeting held in Carrigallen
- 1916: National School
- 1940: Garda Barracks
- 1957: Carrigallen Vocational School (three-roomed school)
- 1980: Jetwash Ltd. established
- 1984: GAA Park officially opened
- 1987-1989: Corn Mill Theatre built
Archaeological Finds in Carrigallen
- Ballyvalley Axe: A 4,000-year-old Bronze Age axe discovered in the townland of Augharan in September 1995. It is displayed in the National Museum of Ireland.
- Carrigallen Shoe: Found in Carrigallen Bog, this early Christian artifact dates to the 9th or 10th century. Now part of the National Museum’s Viking Age exhibition, its intricate decoration provided clues to its age.