Settlement deserted

The earliest settlement at Moone, which is now a small village, was the ecclesiastical site dedicated to St Colmcille, for which the earliest references are in the eleventh century (Bradley et al. 1986 vol. 3, 324-42). The Irish name for the town 'Maoin Colm Cille' means 'the property of St Colmcille'. The borough was established in the thirteenth century, and a charter was granted to Moone c. 1223 which included a number of special privileges for the burgesses, including restrictions on outside merchants trading in the town (Aois 1946, 246-50). The same charter indicates the presence of a castle, a hospice, and mills, and a church of some importance. There are few references to the town after the thirteenth century, although there was a garrison or castle here in 1580 (Hamilton 1867, 266), and the Down Survey (1655-6) showed two crosses and mill at Moone. Date of upload: 5 September 2016