Hidden Heritage

Visitors to Mid Ulster will have an opportunity to step back in time to discover some of the district’s Hidden Heritage.

Four new events include the opportunity to discover ‘The O’Neill and his Connection’, with a visit to some of Mid Ulster’s Historic sites. The tours will include sights such as Benburb Priory, Coyles Cottage and US Grants Homestead.

The O’Neill & his Connections - Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House, DUNGANNON and Benburb Priory and Castle, BENBURB

Explore a special place at the very heart of Ulster’s history at Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House. Here you’ll uncover extraordinary stories that shaped the history of Ireland, hearing stories of The O’Neill, who was head of one of Ireland’s most powerful dynasties.

The tour will then continue to Benburb when Shane “the Proud” O’Neill built the first iteration of what would become known as Benburb Castle. A visit to the Library and Museum will also form part of the tour.

Crosses and Cottages – Ardboe Cross, Coyle’s Cottage and Kinturk Cultural Centre, MOORTOWN

One of the most easily identifiable monuments along the shoreline of Lough Neagh is the Ardboe Cross, a national monument dating from the tenth century and the first High Cross built in Ulster. There are also remains of a church and abbey here.

From the Cross we will continue the journey to Coyle’s Cottage which has been standing strong for approximately 300 years. The cottage is believed to be the last authentic fisherman’s cottage in the area and was inhabited until quite recently.  At Kinturk Cultural Centre there is an informative and interactive exhibition exploring the history of Lough Neagh, its natural habitats and how it continues to play an important role in our everyday lives.

A Presidents Nest – US Grant Ancestral Homestead, DUNGANNNON

Nestled in the beautiful countryside outside Ballygawley is the original ancestral Homestead of President US Grant. The farmhouse, excellently preserved, where

his great grandfather John Simpson was born and left in 1760, emigrating to Ohio. You will have the opportunity to meet the President himself and learn what his ancestor’s life was like in both Ireland and the USA. Sit back and relax to the sound of local musicians.

Literature and Heritage -  Church Island, Bellaghy Bawn, Seamus Heaney Grave, BELLAGHY and Inishrush, GLENONE

The tour will begin at Church Island, a small island on Lough Beg near Bellaghy which can be viewed from Longpoint Wood. The tower and spire there were built for Lord Bishop Hervey of Derry in the late 1700's.

The journey will continue to Bellaghy Bawn which was built around 1619 by Sir Baptist Jones and features a mix of various building styles from different periods with the main house lived in until 1987.

Next on this Literature and Heritage tour is a visit to Seamus Heaney’s Grave, the poet's final resting place in Bellaghy. The inscription on his headstone is a line from Heaney's poem “The Gravel Walks”, which he used in his 1995 Nobel prize acceptance speech.

The final stop on the tour will visit Inishrush in Greenlough, a historic Gaelic elite site which was home to Brian Carragh O’Neill, a great Gaelic Lord of the 16th Century.

Tour will be conducted by Thomas McErlean, landscape archaeologist.

* Booking for all four tours is essential as spaces are limited.

All tours cost £25 per person, including coach transfers, guided tours and refreshments.