Church in Drumlease

Located on a lower shoulder at the E end of a drumlin ridge. This is probably the site of the church known as 'Druim Daro (ridge of oaks)', which was in Callraighe Trí Maighe (of three plains). It was reputedly founded by St Patrick, over which he placed Benan (Beinéan or Beningus) as the first abbot. Beinéan might also have been abbot of Armagh (Etchingham and Swift 2001, 307-08), but Ó Riain (2011, 100-02) would regard all the Beinéan saints as manifestations of St Beinéan of Kilbennan (GA029-017002-). The lands of Drum Daro were described in detail in the Additamenta or additions of the Book of Armagh in the eight century (O’Connell 1937, 131-3) but they cannot be related easily to the modern landscape. A rough concordance could be suggested between Conaclid and Conaghil, Léni and Killaleen, Sescenn Dá Cor (Marsh of two pools?) and Sheskin (Etchingham and Swift 2001, 287-8). The lands would seem to have extended largely to the E and NE of this location. This is also the site of the medieval parish church of Drumlease. There is a reference to the Annates, a church tax, on the church of Drumlias in 1505 (Logan 1970, 55). Druim Lias is listed as a church in a late 17th century document (Mooney 1946, 65) and it is depicted as entire on Taylor and Skinner’s map surveyed in 1777 (Andrews 1969, 235), A Church of Ireland church occupied the subrectangular graveyard (dims 53m E-W; 24m N-S at E; 18.3m N-S at W) defined by mortared stone walls, in the late 18th century (McParlan 1802, 100) but the parish centre had moved to Dromahaire by 1835 (OS 6-inch map) where the church was repaired in 1817 (Lewis 1837, 1, 517-18). There is no visible surface evidence of a church structure or any antiquity at Drumlease graveyard.