Dungiven and the Surrounding Area l Home

THE OLD PRIORY (1100-2002)

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The Old Priory is a historical landmark in Dungiven situated off the A6 Belfast- Derry road. Presently it is a run down, il-maintained graveyard, but it has had its fair share of maintenance years ago. The Augustinian Order built it in 1100AD. At this time it had only a nave and chancel (yellow).

When they had finished with it, and some years later, the O’Cahan Clan took over it, adding a tower house (blue). While inhabiting the Priory the O’Cahans faced the death of their great chieftain, Cooey-na-Gael and they buried him in a tomb by the south-facing wall of the chancel.

It was then left derelict for years and became quite run down. In the 17th century the Ulster Plantation came into shape and Dungiven was to be a plantation town.

There were twelve London companies that came to county Derry to help the plantation and they each got a town to build and develop.

The Skinners Company were granted ownership of Dungiven, part of Pellipar Estate, and Sir Edward Doddington was in charge of the running of the estate.

Sir Edward built the priory up again, putting new tiles etc on the roofs of the chancel and nave. He also improved the castle situation and made it a four storey building as well as adding a 2 ½ storey house for himself with formal garden behind it and enclosing the whole built up area with a bawn and out buildings (red) (green). The bawn/castle was called the First House of Pellipar or Skinners' Hall.

When Sir Edward died he left the castle/bawn to his wife, Lady Anne Cooke. She was now the tenant of the Skinners' Estate and she lived in the castle until she died. Her lease of the Estate was granted to Edward Carey who was related to her in some way. Edward did not live in Skinners' Hall and if he did it was only temporary for he was building himself a castle on a **site in the town of Dungiven. Skinners' Hall *was ruined after it was left to diminish by Carey.

*It is practically unknown what caused the destruction of the castle/bawn at the priory but it is suspected that it could have been burned during the Williamite Wars.

**Note that Carey's new castle was not made into a plantation bawn/castle but was merely used as his home. The present castle in the town is not Carey's but it is right on the site of his castle. One of the Obilbys of Limavady built the present castle as it is standing today although part of the original wall surrounding the castle (from Carey's time) remains.

The Priory was abandoned in 1720.

In the past two decades the Priory was excavated and the chancel where the impressive tomb of Cooey-na-gael lies was protected with a wall preventing anyone from destructing the tomb.

Now there are no traces of any other part of the building apart from the nave and chancel, the very oldest part of the bawn/priory.

Cooey-na-Gael’s tomb in chancel