THE TRAGEDY that was the life of the last great Gaelic Lord of Clandeboye is retold in an amazing tour by East Belfast Irish language group Turas.

East Belfast is full to the brim of name places which hark back to the time Con MacNeill MacBrian Fertagh O’Neill (1574-1619) was the last Gaelic Lord of Upper Clandeboye. The territory then was a small kingdom consisting of 224 townlands stretching from Belfast to Bangor, Portavogie, Crossgar and Lisburn, which was – and still is – some of the best land in Ulster.

The townlands remain although their original names have long been Anglicised and corrupted from the original Irish place names. Places such as Castlereagh (An Caisleán Riabhach – the Grey Castle), the stronghold of Con’s branch of the powerful O’Neill family. In his ownership were also the townlands of Lisnasharragh (Lios na Searrach – the Fort of the Foals), Cregagh (An Chreagaigh – the Rocky Place) and Tullycarnet (Tulaigh Charnáin – Hillock of the Little Cairn).

The tour was led by Brian Ervine – husband of Linda Ervine who has been instrumental in leading the Irish language revival in the east of the city – and the Belfast Media Group and other media outlets were invited to come along and take the tour with our very own living and breathing Con O’Neill.

The first stop on the tour was the imposing and beautiful Lisnabreeny Rath (Lios na Bruíne – Fort of the Faeries). We were treated to some wonderful traditional music and images of our real life Con sitting on his inaugural chair. This was a replica of the real chair which is in the Ulster Museum and on which the Lords of Clandeboye were crowned. 

PANORAMIC: The view from what was Con's castle (the hawthorn bush to the right is all that remains)
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PANORAMIC: The view from what was Con's castle (the hawthorn bush to the right is all that remains)

From the rath we could see the whole of Belfast and much of Con’s demesne. Next were the remains of Con’s castle – now opposite the Henry Jones Playing Fields – which once dominated the landscape but now nothing remains after the castle was torn down by Moses Hill, an Englishman who used some of the stones to build Hillsborough Castle.

Our next stop was a hidden gem of East Belfast, the Con O’Neill Bridge, which is rumoured to be the oldest structure standing in the city. Brian’s historical knowledge of the topic is unparalleled and he recounted how Con’s men used the bridge to smuggle goods up and down the Connswater River which was then extremely fast flowing.

The area of Con’s Bridge is also known locally as ‘The Hollow’ which was famously mentioned in Van Morrison’s ‘Brown Eyed Girl’.

Without giving away the story to anyone keen to take the tour, we can say it was truly a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Con was quite literally conned out of his lands and routinely imprisoned on dubious charges associated with the cut-throat and ruthless nature of Elizabethan rule in Ireland. Each run-in with the law left the proud Con further reduced in lands and standing, while conniving Scotsmen, ambitious family members and the crumbling of the Gaelic order in Ulster did the rest.

CROSSING: The mural of Con O'Neill on his bridge was commissioned by Turas
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CROSSING: The mural of Con O'Neill on his bridge was commissioned by Turas

Brian explained that Turas want to help bring Con back to life and make each of the five stops on the tour markers which can explain how the Gaelic order crumbled due to invasion, colonialism, Plantation and continual warfare. They also want to raise Con bfrom the dead in the collective memory of the people of Belfast.

A Con O’Neill Festival takes place on September 9 and 10 and will involve activities at the five sites and at the Skainos Centre on the Newtownards Road.

HISTORIC: The Con O'Neill Bridge is a hidden gem in East Belfast
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HISTORIC: The Con O'Neill Bridge is a hidden gem in East Belfast

Speaking of the upcoming festival, Linda Ervine of Turas said: “We are delighted to announce details of our Con O’Neill Festival. Everyone is welcome to join us to explore and discover our rich and shared Gaelic heritage of East Belfast through the festival, bus tours and our education services. Discover the story of the last Gaelic Lord of East Belfast with our fantastic tour guide and find out how Con’s legacy lives on through this place today. We are excited to connect with people at this year’s EastSide Arts Festival and Féile an Phobail and look forward to welcoming old and new friends to the Con O’Neill Festival in September.”

Other tours are also available from the Skainos Centre, including a mural tour of East Belfast focusing on the cultural and quirky history of the area, which will also include the Con O’Neill mural which is located beside his bridge.

Also available is the Gaelic East Belfast Bus Tour which documents the rich history of the Irish language in East Belfast and tells the tale of some of the early pioneers of the Irish language revival in East Belfast as well as the history of the place names.

There will also be special language classes available for families which will feature in this year’s EastSide Arts Festival and Féile an Phobail as well as trips with Journey East Bus Tours.

For anyone with an interest in history, an interest in Belfast and wants to see how the tragic end of the last Lord of Clandeboye came about, this tour is a must.

For further details visit Journey East and Turas on Facebook and Twitter.