57-630: The Gobán Saor was a highly skilled smith or architect in Irish history and legend. Gobban Saer (Gobban the Builder) is a figure regarded in Irish traditional lore as an architect of the seventh century, and popularly canonized as St. Gobban . The Catholic Encyclopedia considers him historical and born at Turvey , on the Donabate peninsula in North County Dublin, about 560. In literary references, he
114-564: A tascaffin in county Limerick are extant but no designation of that name can be found. However, Tiscoffin monastery, county Kilkenny is in the List of monastic houses in Ireland . The Goban Saor . The history of Ireland is steeped in mythology. According to Irish invasion tradition, the fifth group to arrive was the Tuatha Dé Danann . They fought and won many battles and displaced and disposed of
171-534: A mean discharge rate of 92 m /s. According to C. Michael Hogan, the Bann River Valley is a settlement area for some of the first human arrivals in Ireland after the most recent glacial retreat. The river has played an important part in the industrialisation in Northern Ireland, especially in the linen industry. Today salmon and eel fisheries are the most important economic features of the river. The river
228-457: A navigation in 1954, it is still possible to navigate between Whitecoat Point and Lough Neagh. Entrance to the river from Lough Neagh is not easy, as the river is quite shallow at this point, and there are no navigation markers to assist. Once on the river, the jetties for the Bann Ferry are soon reached. It is possible to moor there, to visit the villages of Columbkille to the west or Bannfoot to
285-616: A number of towns until after 64 kilometres (40 mi) it joins Lough Neagh at Bannfoot , County Armagh . This stretch is one of the most popular coarse fishing rivers in Europe. At Whitecoat Point near Portadown , it is joined by the Cusher River and connects with the now disused Newry Canal , which once gave access south to the Irish Sea . Although the Upper Bann was officially abandoned as
342-659: Is a post reformation Church of Ireland and is located within the Diocese of Down and Dromore (of the Church of Ireland ), or alternatively the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore . The 17th-century Irish historian and hagiographer John Colgan wrote of this location: " Gobanus – Goba of Teg da-goba – Seagoe, on the bank of the Bann in Iveagh of Ulidia (also) St. Gobanus of Killamery , near
399-447: Is often used as a dividing line between the eastern and western areas of Northern Ireland, often labelled the "Bann divide". Towns, councils and businesses "west of the Bann" are often seen as having less investment and government spending than those to the east. It is also seen as a religious, economic and political divide, with Catholics and Irish nationalists being in the majority to the west, and Ulster Protestants and unionists in
456-565: Is recorded during a dateable period of Ireland's early history. Although St. Gobhan is not the goban saor of the Tuatha de Danann, he could be described as a Goban Saor of 6th–7th century Ireland. River Bann The River Bann (from Irish : An Bhanna , meaning "the goddess"; Ulster-Scots : Bann Wattèr ) is the longest river in Northern Ireland , its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). However,
513-575: Is unclear. However, prior to the highly important synod of 633, it would appear that he left his monastery and along with numerous monks journeyed into the west of the kingdom of Ossory . Again whether or not he founded or inherited the monastery at Killamery: Cill lamraidhe in Ossory is disputed; however, during his abbacy, its fame and importance flourished. The 9th-century book – "The Martyrology of Oengus states “ of Gobban of Cell Lamraide in Hui Cathrenn in
570-462: The Atlantic Ocean at Barmouth, located behind Portstewart Golf Club, between Portstewart and Castlerock . The Lower Bann is 64 kilometres (40 mi) long and is a canalised waterway, with five navigation locks, at Toome, Portna, Movanagher, Carnroe and Castleroe. The river is very popular with water sports enthusiasts, anglers and cruisers and has minimal commercial traffic. It acts as most of
627-601: The Fir Bolg . The Tuatha de Danann had a trinity of gods of craft, the most important of which was Goibniu . Goibnui forged lethal weapons and brewed their magical elixirs of invincibility. His name in Old Irish Gobae~Gobann translates as smith~craftsman. Gobann the craftsman – a skilled builder – the Gobán Saor . St. Gobhan was renowned as a builder-founder of many churches. However, as a founder, he should be acclaimed, for
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#1733085850228684-563: The Old Irish gobae ~ gobann ‘ smith ,’ Middle Welsh gof ~ gofein ‘ smith ,’ Gallic gobedbi ‘with the smiths ,’ Latin faber ‘ smith ’ and with the Lithuanian gabija ‘sacred home fire’ and Lithuanian gabus ‘gifted, clever’. The Wonder Smith and His Son is a retelling of fourteen tales about the Gobán Saor, by Ella Young ; illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff (1927). It
741-651: The River Blackwater had to be made deeper and wider. The cost of the project overran by £50,000 and the government was asked to make up the shortfall. The Upper Bann Navigation included the River Bann between its junction with the Newry Canal at Whitecoat Point and Lough Neagh, a route across Lough Neagh to the mouth of the Blackwater, and the lower 10.5 miles (17 km) of the Blackwater as far as Blackwatertown . This
798-614: The Uí Echach Cobo whose territory would later become the baronies of Upper & Lower Iveagh , in modern-day County Down. This boundary remained for many centuries until the Plantation of Ulster when in 1605 " The land east of the Upper Bann on the shore of Lough Neagh, known as Clanbrassilagh was formally annexed to the County of Ardmaghe...becoming eventually the barony of Oneilland East ". The continuous spread of urban development and
855-541: The river Feale , Brick and Gale converge: thus united they become the Cashen river which flows some six more miles before emptying into Cashen Bay on the River Shannon estuary. The low ground south of the Cashen river was known as Cashen bog. The church of Rattoo lies within this bog, though now much reduced: however, one and a half thousand years ago this topography would have been more apparent. The church of Rattoo adjoins
912-467: The Abbey and churches of Rattoo arose within the ancient ecclesiastical see of Ardfert in the cantred of Altry bordering Ui Ferba, within the over kingdom of Ciarraige Luachra and was founded by – " the gentle bishop Lugdach ". This ecclesiastical site, which was reported to consist of seven churches was long known as " Rath Muighe tuaiscirt " – the fort of the northern plain. This bishop Lugdach, could be
969-835: The Cusher River and the entrance to the derelict Newry Canal is just over 1 mile (1.6 km) from the final bridge, and navigation of the river is possible for a short distance beyond that point. Spelga Bridge, New Bridge, Eight Mile Bridge, Mill Bridge, Cavan Bridge, Mc Combs Bridge, Bannfield Bridge, Tirkelly Bridge, Roughan Bridge, Seafin Bridge, Kates Bridge, Circular Rd Bann Bridge, Mulligans Bridge, Balilievey Bridge, Lisnaree Bridge, Lindsays Bridge, A1 Bypass Bridge, Bannbridge Bridge, Milltown Bridge, Point Bridge, Tullylish Bridge, Gilford Bridge, White Bridge, Dynes Bridge, Bann Bridge 1838, Shillington Bridge 1970, Bann Railway Bridge, M1 Bridge 1967. The Lower Bann flows from Lough Neagh at Toome to
1026-543: The Johnswell hills in the south of the plateau in county Carlow. In the 6th century Scuithin left Ireland to become a disciple of the Welsh holy man Saint David , whom he is credited with saving from poisoning. On returning home to Ireland he became a hermit and holy man in the Johnswell hills where the memory of his name and abode are preserved in "tigh scuithin." While the site of " Tigh Scuthin " has thankfully been preserved in
1083-519: The Lough Neagh basin, which would improve navigation, drainage and milling. A series of public meetings were held, and a survey was made of the Lower Bann. The Board of Works then instructed their own engineer to carry out a survey. John McMahon estimated that it would cost £183,775 to improve the Lower Bann from Lough Neagh to the sea, and that the navigation works accounted for less than half of this, with
1140-471: The Lower Bann are: Ptolemy 's Geography (2nd century AD) described a river mouth called Αργιτα ( Argita , "shining"), referring to the Bann. The Lower Bann provides the only outlet for Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, which is fed by six major rivers, including the Upper Bann. The ability of the lake to absorb large quantities of flood water is limited, and consequently,
1197-624: The ancient abode of St. Gobban of OldLeighlin is on the periphery of Tigh Scuthin – Tiscoffin. Also according to the Journal of the Royal Antiquaries of Ireland (1876) St. Gobban may have briefly aboded at tigh Scuithin. (after leaving OldLeighlin and before Killamery) for at a time unknown a monastery was erected here. Time, linguistic variations, dialects and anglicisation have confused and entangled St Goban and St.Scuithin : however, two distinct historical persons did exist. Vague references to
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#17330858502281254-570: The ancient townland of Clooneagh: Cluain Each. – while seven miles west of Tralee, on the Corkaguiny peninsular is the old church of Kilgobbin. St. Gobban founded his monastery at OldLeighlin in 616. The boundary lines of counties Carlow, Laois and Kilkenny all meet on the Castlecomer plateau. A portion of this plateau has often been referred to as Slieve Margy. OldLeighlin sits on the eastern slopes of
1311-663: The annual deficit. A proposal to build a hydro-electric scheme across the Lower Bann in 1925 came to nothing, and four years later, the Lough Neagh Drainage Trust and the Lower Bann Navigation Trust were disbanded, with the Ministry of Finance assuming responsibility for the river. The counties contributing to the Upper Bann Navigation Trust appealed for that to be disbanded too, but the appeal
1368-512: The areas around the lake are prone to flooding. The Lower Bann encountered a large shoal of rock at Portna, which reduced the effectiveness of the outflow, and in 1738, Francis Hutchinson , the Bishop of Down and Connor petitioned the Irish Parliament to do something about the shoals, and hence the annual flooding that affected his people. Although Parliament responded encouragingly, no actual work
1425-729: The border between County Antrim and County Londonderry . The only commercial port on the river is at Coleraine . Ships from Londonderry Port and the Port of Belfast transfer coal and scrap metal. The water level on the Lower Bann is controlled by the Rivers Agency using gates situated at Portna (near Kilrea ) and The Cutts at Coleraine. Major tributaries include the Clady River Inveroe Burn, Agivey River , Macosquin Rhee River, Ballymoney River and Articlave River. The bridges over
1482-506: The bridge it is around 3 miles (5 km) to Portadown, and the river passes through pleasant rural scenery. Exploration of the town from the river is difficult, because water levels at Shillington Quay and at the jetty a little further upstream are very shallow. The river is crossed by the railway line from Portadown to Lurgan and then road bridges carrying the A3 road and the A27 road. The junction with
1539-412: The churches were not lavish, spectacular Romanesque or Gothic cathedrals but simple mud and wattle mixtures that embraced usually the holy well – Christianized to act as the font. The interconnectedness and mutuality of names and professions undoubtedly gave rise to an expression of oneness. The Goban Saor of the Tuatha de Danann existed in an un-dateable period of Ireland's pre-history. St. Gobhan's death
1596-508: The county of Kerry ... O'Laeghain, a warrior of fame, We found him over Ui fearba; O'Cathnendaigh obtained the land, firmly settled under the high hills of cualan. " Some authorities describe the land of Ui Ferba as extending northwards from Tralee along Ballyheigue bay to Cashen Bay . However prior to its breakup during the Cambro-Norman invasion of Ireland, Ui Ferba not only included the forementioned lands but also included territory to
1653-525: The drainage works making up the rest. Removal of the Portna shoal would reduce the level of the lake surface by some 1.8 metres (6 ft). The plan was well received, and work began in 1847. Charles Ottley acted as chief engineer but found difficulty in recruiting a labour force. The number of men looking for work had been reduced by famine and emigration, and the railways were competing for workers. The project took eleven years to complete. A double-chambered lock
1710-448: The east. Bannfoot was originally called Charlestown after its builder, Charles Brownlow, who built it around 1830. Some 6 miles (10 km) from the mouth, the river is crossed by the M1 motorway . The bridge is the lowest on the navigable section, with an air draught of around 10 feet (3 m), although in strong northerly winds, water backs up in the river and the headroom is reduced. From
1767-415: The eponymous location of Tiscoffin it has unfortunately almost obliterated the memory of St. Scuithin as an actual historical entity. When the ancient tuatha were reorganised Kilkenny was divided into baronies and parishes. The Kilkenny barony of Gowran includes the civil parish of Tiscoffin (tigh scuithin) which stretches into the Johnswell hills. It seems probable that here, in the 7th century, existed
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1824-459: The etymology of Cluain Eidhneach may be instructive. The meaning of the middle Irish word Cluain is invariably found to be a piece of fertile land surrounded by a bog or moor, or on one side by a bog, and the other by water. Also the word eidnech/eidhneach refers to an area of ivy-clad trees. In summary, an area of raised fertile land surrounded by bog/swamp. A few miles to the north of Ratoo
1881-487: The father of Gobban find mac Lugdach and this ecclesiastical enclosure might not only be St. Gobhan's birthplace: but also that of his real final resting abode. It is generally regarded that St. Gobhan was buried, or his holy relics preserved at the celebrated monastery of St. Fintan of Clonenagh( Cluain Ednech) , county Laois. However St. Gobhan had no apparent ecclesiastical ties to this historic establishment. An examination of
1938-508: The fluid and fluctuating boundary between the Kingdom of Ossory and that of Leinster in which Oldleighlin is situated. Kilkenny would eventually become a county of Leinster in 1210. The county Kilkenny town of Castlewarren :( Caisleán an Bhairínigh ) in the civil parish of Tiscoffin preserves his memory with the Church of Scuithin. This church is seven kilometres distant from OldLeighlin. No doubt
1995-421: The lands within the historical diocese of Down and Dromore. The original foundation of St. Gobhan's church is in the ancient cemetery some one hundred yards distance from the present church. The old church ruins set amid tall Yew trees and ornate headstones are a poignant reminder of many past incarnations. Whether political upheaval or ecclesiastical differences precipitated St. Gobban's departure from OldLeighlin
2052-547: The legendary Fergus mac Róich of the Ulster Cycle in Irish mythology . A place where crumbling fortresses on jagged headlands still guard the memories of faded kingdoms. In the " Martyrology of Oengus the culdee ", (9th-century register of saints and their feast days), it is stated…" Of Gobban, i.e. of cell Lamraide in Hui Cathrenn in the west of Ossory, i.e. a thousand monks it had, as experts say. angelic wall, i.e. angels founded
2109-553: The lough, so that its flow could be reversed, and the amount of water entering the lough reduced correspondingly. The proposal was no better received than when Nimmo had originally made it. Both the Monck Commission, which sat in the early 1880s, and an enquiry into the Board of Works held in 1887, suggested that for the benefit of flood relief, the navigation should be abandoned, and that the three Trusts were counter-productive. No action
2166-531: The majority to the east; and with the financial and industrial capital of Greater Belfast to the east with the west of the Bann being more agricultural and rural. The Lough Neagh catchment drains 43% of the landmass of Northern Ireland, as well as some border areas in the Republic of Ireland , all in Ulster . The Rivers Agency manages the water level in the lough using a barrage at Toome . The current drainage scheme
2223-402: The mountain called Slievenaman. " Situated four miles due south of Lough Neagh , St. Gobhan's church stands on a high-commanding ridge overlooking and to the east of the upper river Bann in a region where three counties almost meet – County Armagh , County Down and County Antrim . When St. Gobhan first arrived in this locale almost one and a half thousand years ago he was in the lands of
2280-608: The parish of Seagoe – recorded for instance as Teach dho-Ghobha – in County Armagh, Ireland . Gobban find mac Lugdach ( c. 560 – 639) was primarily known for his abbacy of the monastery of Oldleighlin , County Carlow , where in 633 an important synod was held to debate the timing of Easter . This monastery later evolved into St Laserian's Cathedral, Old Leighlin . This abbot also held authority at Killamery – Cell Lamraide in County Kilkenny . He died in 639 and
2337-527: The re-designation of boundaries has masked or obliterated the ancient topography allowing many small and independent hamlets to be swallowed up. Seagoe continued its independent existence until in 1888 the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 facilitated its inclusion into Portadown Urban District. So although present-day Seagoe by definition is in county Armagh, its location and ancient history display an affinity and tenuous bond of ecclesiastical ties with
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2394-418: The sea. Not only would it solve the problems of flooding, but it would also solve the inadequate water supply for the canal, eliminate lock maintenance, and could generate around 2,200 kW as the water would still have to fall by 13.7 metres (45 ft). The plan was a little too ambitious and failed to win support. In 1842, the Board of Works were authorised by an Act of Parliament to carry out works in
2451-427: The south of the lake had to contribute towards the drainage and navigation works which had been completed, and also find £800 per year for ongoing maintenance, with no source of income to cover it. Coleraine was expanded as a port, but even the Lower Bann did not generate the expected revenue, and the adjoining counties had to finance an annual deficit of around £400. A passenger service between Coleraine and Toomebridge
2508-406: The total length of the River Bann, including its path through the 30 km (19 mi) long Lough Neagh is 159 km (99 mi). Another length of the River Bann given is 90 mi. The river winds its way from the southeast corner of Ulster to the northwest coast, pausing in the middle to widen into Lough Neagh. The River Bann catchment has an area of 5,775 km . The River Bann has
2565-530: The wall of his church for him. Lane , an old tribe which was once in the south of Ireland, and of them was Gobban ." The tribal name of Lane is an interpretation of the Irish O'Laoghin or O'Laeghain as mentioned by Geoffrey Keating when referring to the Topographical Poems of Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin and Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín . where it is stated – " O'LAEGHAIN, O'Leyne, or Lane, chief of UI ferba and O'Duibhduin, chief of Ui Flannain, districts in
2622-513: The west of Ossory, a thousand monks it had, as experts say and of them was Gobban. ", The Killamery High Cross has become famous as part of the west Ossory group of High crosses. In the southwest of Ireland, in the province of Munster , on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, lies the " Kingdom " of County Kerry (Irish: Ciarraí). The kingdom of the Ciarraige tribe whose founder was Ciar, son of
2679-531: The west of Tralee in the Dingle/ Corkaguiny peninsular. Scattered and embedded into this primitive landscape of stone age dolmens and Iron Age forts are the very foundation stones of early Irish medieval ecclesiastical sites. Many of these early Christian sites have been lost to the vagaries of time, man, and nature. However many still exist to some extent: one of which is the ancient ecclesiastic site of Rattoo , with its famous round tower. The estate of
2736-442: Was a 1928 Newbery Honor Book. Two of Ella Young's retellings were reprinted by Collier in "The Young Folks Shelf of Books." The Goban Saor is described as the son of Tuirbe Tragmar ("thrower of axes"), a figure whose magical axe would hold back the sea after it was thrown on the strand. His supposed burial site is located next to Derrynaflan Church , County Tipperary. St. Gobban Saint Gobhan has long been linked with
2793-423: Was buried in either the ancient abbey of Clonenagh: Cluain-Ednech , County Laois or Clooneagh: Cluain Each , County Kerry . Clans, landscapes and borders A holy man named St. Gobhan ( St Goban -Gobban-Goba) is associated with the foundation c. 600 , of a church of Celtic Christianity origins in the parish of Seagoe, Portadown , County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The present St. Gobhan's church
2850-578: Was constructed at Portna, where the shoal was removed, and four other locks were needed to negotiate the difference in levels. Quays and swing bridges were erected, and various alterations had to be made around Lough Neagh to cope with the drop in the surface level. The final lock on the Lagan Canal , the Coalisland Canal and the Ulster Canal had to be rebuilt with a lower cill and deeper lock gates, and
2907-450: Was done, and the problem remained. In 1822, the Scottish engineer Alexander Nimmo proposed a radical solution. The Newry Canal provided a route southwards from Lough Neagh to Carlingford Lough , but it rose to a summit and then descended again. His proposal was to lower the summit level so that it was below the level of Lough Neagh, remove all the locks, and so provide a second outlet to
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#17330858502282964-491: Was employed by many Irish saints to build churches, oratories, and bell towers, and he is alluded to in an eighth-century Irish poem, preserved in a monastery in Carinthia . In the "Life of St. Abban" it is said that "the fame of Gobban as a builder in wood as well as stone would exist in Ireland to the end of time." In Gobán Saor can be seen elements of Goibniu , the Old Irish god of smithcraft . His name can be compared with
3021-505: Was engineered by Major Percy Shepherd and was enabled by the Lough Neagh and Lower Bann Drainage and Navigation Act (Northern Ireland) 1955. The levels are regulated between 12.45 metres and 12.6 metres above Ordnance Datum , as defined in the Lough Neagh (Levels) Scheme 1955 (as amended). The Upper Bann rises at Slieve Muck in the Mourne Mountains , County Down and flows directly into Spelga Reservoir before continuing through
3078-502: Was made on 13 April 1859. The finished scheme was not well received by the counties through which it ran. As originally conceived, revenue from tolls and water power on the Lower Bann would finance maintenance work on the Upper Bann. Instead, three separate Trusts were set up. These were the Upper Bann Navigation Trust, the Lower Bann Navigation Trust and the Lough Neagh Drainage Trust. The adjoining counties appointed representatives to each and also financed their continued operation. Those to
3135-619: Was one of four works of navigation part funded by the Treasury during the famine years in Ireland. The other three were the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal linking Lough Erne to the river Shannon across County Leitrim; Loughs Corrib, Mask and Carra in counties Galway and Mayo; and Lough Oughter and Lough Gowna in County Cavan. The Upper Bann Navigation was the only one completed to its full design extent. The Final Award for this scheme
3192-472: Was started in 1863, but the increased flow on the river made travel upstream difficult, and the service was abandoned. Like so many schemes that tried to combine drainage and navigation, this one did neither particularly well. Flooding around the southern shores of Lough Neagh continued to be a problem, and in 1882 the chairman of Portadown Town Commissioners suggested that Alexander Nimmo's scheme should be revived. The Upper Bann would be made much deeper near
3249-563: Was taken, and when the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers , Sir Alexander Binnie , was asked for his advice in 1906, he came to a similar conclusion. He suggested that a canalised river, which in winter had a flow of between 188 and 376 cubic metres per second (400,000 and 800,000 cu ft/min) was never going to succeed. Again his advice was ignored, as the navigation works were still relatively new. The counties continued to fund
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