(meaning ‘Field of Rigour’ … or ‘Field of the Pillar Stone’)
Aghagallon old church and cemetery can be found at the top of a long lane off Rock Lane, just south of Aghalee village. Like Old Aghalee, it seems to have been a hill-top ringfort, which developed into an early Christian site; the church ruin and an encircling graveyard still clearly evident.
It is possible that Aghagallon may have been founded by the same saint Colman (Culin) who founded Maghernagaw. However, it has also been suggested that Maghernagaw old church was the original parish church of Aghagallon, and that Aghagallon old church was built at a subsequent period as a chapel of ease.
A small stream, optimistically named the Goudy River, begins its course near Old Aghagallon and flows westward to Lough Neagh, crossing both the Aghalee Road and the Lagan Navigation at Gilbert’s Bridge. Beside this river, just south-west of the cemetery, there once was an ancient well and thorn-bush.
Francis McCorry suggests this may have been an ‘offering well’ where funeral offerings were collected to support bereaved families and also, during the time of the Penal Laws, as a means of supporting local clergy.
Alongside the offering well, there once stood a large ancient cairn of stones, from which Aghagallon may have derived its name. Such pre-historic ‘gallaun’ or pillar-stones are found throughout Ireland, but are more common in County Antrim than any other part of the island. They may be prominent landmarks, monumental stones or ancient religious sites.
A similar ancient cairn once stood about half a mile north-west and, presumably, gave name to the townland of Ballycairn. Indeed, the Victorian House built on that site around 1854 was simply known as ‘The Cairn’.
All four ancient churches within this parish have pre-reformation graveyards associated with them; and each one has been a burial ground for both Protestant and Roman Catholic families. Old Aghagallon, perhaps even more so than the others, has continues to be a shared burying ground.
The area of Aghagallon is now included within the Church of Ireland parish of Aghalee. However, the corresponding Roman Catholic parish has retained the name Aghagallon.
In 1748 a new Roman Catholic church was built on the site of another ancient ring-fort, about 1 mile south-west of Old Aghagallon. The site was granted originally by Thomas Clarke; 90 years later an enlarged portion was granted by Lancilet Turtle.
Originally a small thatched house, this church was attacked and burned during the 1798 Rebellion. At the same time, the priest’s house was also attacked and the Revd William Dawson was robbed and left for dead. The church was subsequently re-roofed and remained in use until work began on the current church of St Patrick’s, which was completed in 1834AD.
Much of the material for the new church was donated freely, and manual labour was carried out by members of the congregation. The O.S. Memoirs record that the remaining cost was ‘raised by liberal subscriptions from different persons of all religious denominations in the parish and surrounding neighbourhood.’
St Patrick’s church now stands in the centre of the modern village of Aghagallon, and serves the Parish of Aghagallon & Ballinderry.
A second church, St Mary’s (Ballinderry), stands on the Chapel Road. It was built in the early C18th on the site of a Mass Station from penal times. However, St Mary’s has not been in use since the Covid-19 pandemic.
We should also note that Magheramesk (Church of St Mary & St Brigid) is now included within the Roman Catholic parish of Lisburn.
