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Priests of the Parish of Ballykinler, Drumcaw and Tyrella

O Laverty states:

This parish comprises the entire civil parishes of Ballykinlar and Tyrella, the townlands of Upper and Lower Rathmullan and Ballyplunt, which belong to the civil parish of Rathmullan, and the ancient parish of Drumcaw, containing the townlands of Ardilea, Claragh, Clough, Drumanaghan or Drumulcaw, Drumaroad, Drumcaw, Dunturk, Knocksticken and Scribb, which, A.D. 1718, was made by Act of Council part and parcel of the civil parish of Loughinisland.


Drumaroad as stated by O'Laverty once formed the ancient parish of Drumcaw, which was part of the commonly called parish of Ballykinlar. The following is a list of priests, some of which may have celebrated mass in Drumcaw Mass House during the 1700's, and in Drumaroad Mass House until the present St. John the Baptist Church in Drumaroad was finally completed in 1841.
1704 Rev. Edmund Mc Graddy, P.P., was born in 1656, was ordained in 1698 by Dr. Keough, Bishop of Clonfert. In 1704 he was registered as Popish Priest of (Drumca) Drumcaw, being then aged forty-eight and residing at Drumnagh. He died Parish Priest of Drumcaw, Ballykinlar, and Tyrella on December 4th, 1713. He was probably a relative, if not an uncle, of Father Edmund McGraddy, P.P., Kilmore, who died between 1740 and 1744.
1714 Rev. Roger Tranlavery, P.P., otherwise Armstrong, became Parish Priest in 1714. On the 7th April 1727, he became Bishop of Down & Connor, but he still retained the parish of Ballykinler. Rev. Roger Tranlavery died in 1739.
1727 Dr. Bannon, P.P., was assistant, for a long time to Bishop Armstrong when a parish priest. He succeeded the Bishop as Parish Priest of Ballykinlar. Later he became Dean of Down and died in 1742.
1742 Rev. Charles Christian, P.P., succeeded Dr. Bannon in 1742. He was a native of Ballyplunt, in the parish of Ballykinlar; he was one of the signatories to the petition of 1726, praying the Pope to confer the vacant See of Down & Connor on Dr. Armstrong. He was then appointed Parish Priest of Ballykinlar in 1742. Owing to advanced age and partial dotage, he was superannuated about 1762 or 1763, and the parish was administered by several clergymen until Rev. Charles Christian’s death.
1762 Rev. Laurence Keenan, P.P., who was born in Drumaroad, and was appointed curate of Saul. He was then appointed Parish Priest of Ballykinlar, Drumcaw, and Drumaroad from the curacy of Saul. Rev. Charles Keenan was a native of Drumaroad but during his incumbency he resided in Island-a-muck. The people used to tell anecdotes about him and his old horse “Soarey”. He died in 1776, and was interred in Loughinisland.
1776 Rev. Neal Cannovan, C.C., was appointed curate of Ballykinlar; administrator of Ballykinlar about 1776; and curate of Bright.
1778 Rev. Richard Curoe, P.P., was born in 1742 in the townland of Ballynagarrick, in the parish of Kilclief. After having been ordained at Seaforde by Dr. MacArtan, Bishop of Down & Connor, on March 14th 1773, he went to Paris, where he studied in the College of the Lombards. On his return he was appointed curate of Bright, and Parish Priest of Ballykinlar on the 17th March 1778. Some time after the appointment of Dr. Hugh MacMullan to the bishopric, his lordship, being desirous of removing the ancient parish of Drumcaw from under the jurisdiction of the parish priest of Ballykinler, and of annexing it to the Parish of Loughinisland, inhibited Rev. Richard Curoe from officiating in Drumaroad. Rev. Richard Curoe however, appealed through the Primate, Dr. Anthony Blake, to the Pope, who decided that Drumcaw was part of the parish to which Rev. Richard Curoe had been canonically inducted, and prohibited the Bishop from disturbing him in the enjoyment of his lawful rights. Dr. MacMullan publicly read the Papal rescript before the conference of clergy, and Rev. Richard Curoe having vindicated his pastoral rights, in order to enable the Bishop to make such changes in Ballykinler as he might think necessary, solicited the parish of Kilmore, then vacant, to which he was appointed on January 12th 1780.
1780 Dr. Hugh MacArtan, on the 14th of March 1773, along with the Rev. Richard Curoe, proceeded to the College of Lombards. On his return, in 1777 he was appointed Parish Priest of Saintfield in 1777, from which he was promoted Parish Priest of Ballykinlar, in June 1780, where he erected the Ballykinlar chapel in 1783 (or 1784). Rev. John Macartan died on 21st February 1814 and was interred in Maghera, but no monument marks his grave. Rev. Hugh Macartan like his brother, studied in the College of Lombards, Paris, from where he fled during the French Revolution in 1793. He completed his studies under the guidance of his brother. Though several times offered promotion, continued to be curate of Ballykinlar upwards of twenty years, after which he was appointed Parish Priest of Ballykinlar, and after eighteen years died on the 26th July 1832 aged sixty six, and was interred in Ballykinlar graveyard.
1818 Rev. Arthur, McGlew, C.C., was a native of Dundalk. He was ordained in Downpatrick by Dr. Patrick MacMullan, Bishop of Down & Connor, in 1812. He officiated as curate in Downpatrick for some time, and went to the College of St. Sulpice in Paris. He was appointed curate of Ballykinlar in 1818 until 1822.
1832 Rev. Michael O’Hagan, P.P., was born at Fofanny-ban in the parish of Kilcoo in October, 1791, he entered the Humanity Class, Maynooth college, April 7th, 1810, and was at Pentecost, 1815, by Dr. Patrick MacMullan, Bishop of Down & Connor. He was appointed curate of Downpatrick, and then Parish Priest of Glenarm in 1819, but resigned this parish to become assistant to his uncle, Father Cormac O’Hagan, P.P., Kilcoo. He was appointed Parish Priest of Kilcoo in 1824 and of Ballykinlar in October 1832. He died on February 9th, 1834, and was interred alongside his uncle in Ballymoney church, but there is no tablet to mark the spot.
1834 Rev. Patrick Curoe, P.P., was a native of the townland of Ballynagarrick in the parish of Kilclief; he entered Logic Class, Maynooth College, in August 1825, and was ordained in St. Mary’s Church, Belfast, Dr. Wm. Crolly, Bishop of Down & Connor, in November 1829. After remaining a few weeks as curate of Belfast, he was appointed curate of Duneane; after six months, C.C., Rasharkin; after eight months, C.C., Belfast. Then he was appointed Parish Priest of Newtownards in June 1831, of Lower Mourne on October 22nd 1832 and of Ballykinlar in July 1834. Rev Patrick Curoe was appointed Professor of Classics in the Diocesan Seminary on the 17th April 1839, but he resigned his position at the Midsummer vacation of 1845, and returned to Ballykinlar. He died on October 4th, 1873, aged seventy-two, and was interred at the altar of the Blesses Virgin Mary, in Ballykinlar church.
1839 Rev. James Mulholland, C.C., was born in Lisburn on August 24th, 1803; he entered Rhetoric Lass, Maynooth College, on March 15th, 1832, and was ordained in 1835. He was appointed Professor of Classics and Mathematics in the Diocesan Seminary, but was compelled, through bad health, to resign that chair. He afterwards officiated as curate in several parishes, and was appointed curate of Downpatrick, and Adm. of Ballykinlar on August 15th, 1839. Being attacked by phthisis, he was obliged to leave this parish in 1843. He died on July 29th, 1843, aged forty, and was interred in the nave of the church at Lisburn.
1842 Younger brother of Father James Killen, P.P., Portaferry, and a native of Tollumgrange in the parish of Dunsford, Rev. Richard Killen, C. C., entered Rhetoric Class, Maynooth College, on August 26th, 1833, and was ordained in Maynooth College by Dr. Healy, Bishop of Kildare, on February 3rd, 1839. He was appointed curate of Ballee, Adm. of Ballykinlar on May 23rd, 1842.
1843 Rev. Francis McKenny, C.C., was born in the townland of Ballylough in the parish of Kilmegan, on August 28thm 1792, he was ordained by Dr. Patrick MacMullan, Bishop of Down & Connor, at Pentecost, 1816, afterwards studied in France. On his return he was appointed curate of Ballykinlar, and of Culfeightrim in the summer of 1843.
1854 Rev. John McGreehan, C.C., studied in the Diocesan College, and entered Rhetoric Lass, Maynooth College, on August 25th, 1836, aged eighteen, and was ordained in Belfast By Dr. Denvir, Bishop of Down & Connor, on May 5th, 1842. He was appointed curate of Cushendall in June 1842, of Aghagallon in February 1849, and then, after a few months, Dean of the Diocesan College, and curate of Ballykinlar on March 11th 1854. He died on August 10th 1884, aged 66, and was interred in the Catholic cemetery of Randalstown.
1864 Rev. Edward Watterson, C.C., was born on August 10th, 1839, in the townland of Drumroe in the parish of Kilclief, he studied in the Diocesan College, Belfast, entered Humanity Class, Maynooth College, on November 15th, 1858, and was ordained in St. Malacy’s College, Belfast, by Dr. Dorrian, Bishop of Down & Connor, on the third Sunday of October, 1863. He was appointed curate of St. Malacy’s, Belfast, on February 13th, 1864, of Ballykinlar in July, 1864, and moved to Ballymacarrett in January December 1866.
1866 Rev. John McAreavey C.C., was born in the parish of Glenavy on March 4th, 1842, he studied in the Diocesan College, Belfast, entered Humanity Class, Maynooth College, on November 15th, 1860, and was ordained on November 1st 1866, By. Dr. Dorrian Bishop of Down & Connor, in St. Peter’s Church, Belfast. He was appointed curate of Ballykinlar where he officiated for only a short while, as he had to retire from missionary work through ill health. He died at his mother’s residence on October 8th, 1869, aged 26 and was interred in front of Aldergrove church.
1867 Rev. James O’Hara, C.C., was a native of the parish of Aghagallon; he studied in the Diocesan Seminary, Belfast, entered Logic Class, Maynooth College, on August 25th, 1863, and was ordained in the College chapel by Cardinal Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, on June 11th 1867. He was appointed curate of Ballykinlar on June 29th, 1867 until 1870, when he was moved to become Master of the diocesan School, Downpatrick.
1873 Rev. Joseph O’Connor, C.C., was born in Ballywalter in the parish of Balee in 1844, he studied in the Diocesan College, Belfast, entered Logic Class, St. John’s College, Waterford, in 1866, and was ordained in St. John’s College by Dr. Lanigan, Bishop of Goulburn, Australia, in 1870. He was appointed curate of Kilclief in October 1870, curate of Ballykinlar on August 1st, 1873, of St. Peter’s, Belfast, in 1874, and Ballykinlar in 1879.
1874 Rev. Felix M'Keating was a native of the parish of Kilclief, he studied in the Diocesan College, and at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and was ordained in the chapel of the convent of Charity, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, by Dr. Whelan, Bishop of Bombay, on November 7th, 1855. He officiated as curate in various parishes and was appointed curate of Lisburn 1857, and as Adm. of Ballymacarrett on October 19th, 1869. On January 1st, 1874, he was appointed Parish Priest of Ballykinlar, where he began the building of the new church at Dundrum, and, in February 1881, of Ardkeen. He died on September 9th, 1885, and was interred outside the church of St. Joseph, Ballycranbeg.

References:

O'Laverty, Rev. James. Diocese of Down & Connor Ancient & Modern, Vol.1 p 117. London 1878
M.J.F. A Digest of the Historical Account of the Diocese of Down & Connor, pp92, 98, 100, 103, 119, 130, 133, 139, 168, 174, 175, 183, 192, 197, 202, 221, 229, 232, 233, 237, Belfast 1945