Garvagh a town and its history
For many centuries and long before man walked this land, The
River Agivey which flows through Garvagh, has wound its way through the hills and valleys on a
course that has changed little in 20 thousand years. Part of the
river rises on the Ballyhone Mountain and is fed by several streams
from Carn and Donalds hill.
This is known as the Ballyhone
River and while only a stream here, it grows quickly, fed by many
other small streams and springs. As the road climbs the hillside,
it gradually becomes a lane and eventually disappears completely but
at one time this road went right over the mountain and came out at
the Ponderosa Bar on the Glenshane pass, less than an hours walk
from the top of Ballyhone. The outline of that road is still
visible and two hundred years ago would have been a busy highway.
The first signs of civilisation on the river’s journey is called The
Cutts. There were six houses here, each comprising of a room and
kitchen.
The McCloskey brothers who reside outside Garvagh, Colm and Phonsey are the
fifth generation of their family to farm here and Colm tells
the story handed down from his great, great grandfather that all six
families who lived here emigrated from Garvagh in 1847 during the height of the
potato famine. The method of growing potatoes in those days was in
ridges or rigs as they were usually called and it is quite likely
that the blighted potatoes in these rigs were never dug. Colm’s
mother says that when she came to Glenullin which is 3 miles from
Garvagh in 1940 these ruins
were still recognisable as houses.
The main artery feeding the Agivey is the Ashlamaduff River,
4 miles south of Garvagh which rises three miles to the
North of Ballyhone. Locals call this The Esland river. The
waterfall, about one mile from the main road is about 14 feet high
and it is unlikely that salmon could travel any further up the river
although there are trout above this point. These trout are not
like the brown ones we know, they are almost black from the peaty
moss water.
Sheep farming is the main industry up here and this
sheep shelter consisting of fir trees planted close together is one
of many on the mountain. This shelter was planted 35 years ago by
Gerry and George Mullan. The sheep up here are a hardy breed,
George Mullan knows that they have to be, for they will spend the
whole Winter on these hills, coming down for lambing about April
time. Gerry Mullan farms sheep and cattle here too and just at the
back of his house The Ballyhone River and The Esland River merge.
It is clear that the Esland river is the larger of the two. A
mile or so down stream is The Ashlamaduff Bridge on the Gelvin
Road. The very wet Spring of 2002 ensured that there was
plenty of water in the river and indeed it is bigger than it would
usually be at this time of year. About a mile or so further on
and heading towards Dungiven can be seen the third artery of the
Agivey which is called The Formil River. The Formil rises in The
Crockinim Mountain three or four miles further North of Ballyhone.
The Formil River is about the same size as the Esland and merges
with the other two just a short distance above Lisnascrehog Bridge. The river is now officially known as The Agivey
River with two bridges inside the town limits of Garvagh.
The next bridge is at Lower Brockagh and as the
river continues its journey, it reaches Errigal
Bridge approximately 3 miles outside Garvagh
and said to be one of the oldest bridges in Ireland.
The
water power of the Agivey River was first exploited at Ballintemple
in the early 19th century for flax scutching. This part of the
river known to fishermen as ‘ Buck’s Carrie’ is owned by Hugh
Hamilton. A report from 1837 said that the flax mill was occupied
by William Woodburn, was thatched and stood one story. The report
went on to say that the waterwheel was 12 feet 7 inches in diameter
and that there was a good supply of water throughout the year. An
1856 report shows that the mill, valued at £4, was still leased by
Lady Garvagh to William Woodburn but goes on to say ‘ The approach
to this mill is very steep and bad and it has little work - not more
than half of some mills of similar power in other parts of the
country. In 1891 the mill was leased to William James and Robert
John Adams and continued as a flax scutching mill. In 1920
Ballintemple House and grounds were bought by William and Clara
Heyland for £3000 In 1939 Johnny Adams sold the mill to George
D. Cooper, a half brother of Hugh Hamilton’s mother. Cooper
installed a turbine and generated electricity for his own use and
that of his neighbours. One neighbour to benifit from the electric
was the late Eddie McCarron who lived in this house close to the
river. A short distance downstream from here in
the town land of Farrantemple and just a field length below Paul
McKenna’s bungalow there is a holy well. For centuries past,
people came from great distances and indeed from neighbouring
counties to be cured here. Holy wells are still common in
Ireland. There is one at St. Adian’s church Magilligan, where a
remnant of the patient’s clothing was hung on a bush overhanging
the well. When the afflicted person left, the illness was supposed
to remain at the well and so the patient was cured. In the early
1930s the water supply to the town of Garvagh.
The supply method to Garvagh consisted of a
pump at Joey Linton’s corner, one further down the street and
various wells at the back of houses. The quality of the water
at the Farrentemple holy well was considered superior to any well in
the locality, a fact soon brought to the attention of the local
doctor in 1933.
Tel: 028 295 58688
